Let's Try This Again
by EternalSorrowOfAngels
Summary: AT. Twenty five years Post-Reaper War, someone's trying to change history. Two council agents end up in a past that doesn't quite match what they know, where the First Contact War lasted thirty years. Can they still cobble together the crew of the Normandy to stop the Reapers? And stop their parents from killing each other in the process? F!ShepxGarrus M!OCxTali F!OCxNihlus
1. Chapter 1

**AN: So, my friend and I were discussing our favourite sci-fi shows and then we starting talking about time travel and then I remembered how much I loved writing time travel stories. So, here's a time travel story. ^^**

**I have no idea how often this will be updated. Whenever I feel like, I guess. Finding Me is still my main priority right now but writing this on the side helps to keep me from getting bogged down.**

**So, hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter One – Oh, a Magic Door. Well, why didn't you just say?**

"_Kira! We have to keep moving." Thomas yelled but his sister wouldn't move._

"_He was right behind us..." She said frantically and he nodded._

"_I know. He got caught in the wave." He said and she shook her head in disbelief. He grabbed her arm to make her look at him and she jumped a little as if she had been shocked through their respective armours._

"_He just... disappeared." She whispered hollowly and he nodded._

"_I know. He was on the other side of the temporal shielding. Kira, that means they have already succeeded. We need to keep moving if we have any hope of stopping them. Of getting Caius back." He said and she flinched at his name._

"_Right. Keep moving." She said with renewed determination as they headed deeper into the facility._

* * *

Commander Sophia Shepard knew one thing above all else.

This war needed to end.

In all honesty, it should have ended years ago. It shouldn't have even _begun_. But if humans were good at one thing, it was holding a grudge. So, the war against the turians had waged on, for almost thirty years. Although, it made no sense to her as to _why_. If she believed in that kind of thing, she might think that some higher power wanted the war to continue, because she wasn't coming up with any logical explanations for why it had lasted for so many years. Why so many had had to be lost before everyone turned around and asked 'Wait, why are we fighting, again?'.

So, when Captain Anderson delivered the news that the war had officially ended, she was the happiest the rest of the crew had seen her. Until, of course, she had found out her next assignment.

"_Shepard, right now the entire galactic community is wary of us. I just need you to keep things quiet for now. Stay out of trouble and patrol the edges of our space." He had told her and she frowned at him._

"_Where will you be, sir?" She asked and he sighed, clearly annoyed._

"_Someone, somewhere got it into their heads that I would make a decent diplomat. Something about making a show of our soldiers playing nice with the enemy." He told her and she smirked. Suddenly keeping out of trouble didn't seem so bad._

"_Do you think you'll manage to happily sit in a room full of turian diplomats?" She asked and he sighed once more, folding his arms._

"_If it keeps the peace, I'll manage. Just as long as they don't stick me in a room with that bastard Saren." He said and her smirk widened into a full blown grin._

"_Oh, I'd pay to see that." She told him and he raised his eyebrow at her._

"_Just as I'd pay to see you locked in a room with turian that kept on thwarting __**your**__ missions." He told her and she frowned at the thought._

"_**Vakarian**__." She spat. "The only downside of this war ending is that I won't get to kill him personally."_

"'_Personally'?"_

"_Oh, I'm sure he'll piss the wrong person off at some point and get a bullet between the eyes." She said jokingly and he smiled._

"_If I didn't know any better, I'd say you liked him." Anderson teased and Shepard rolled her eyes._

So now she was sitting in the CIC, trying to look busy. She, of course, had paperwork. She always had paperwork. But she was a big believer of procrastination so it sat waiting on her terminal while she tried to think of some way to alleviate her boredom.

Patrol jobs were the worst.

"Erm, Commander?" Joker's voice called over the comm and she walked up to the cockpit to answer him, having nothing better to do.

"Yeah?" She asked, her senses immediately put on alert by his anxious demeanour.

"The sensors are picking up… _something_." He told her and she frowned.

"Like a ship?" She asked and he shook his head.

"Like a spacial distortion, right in our path." He told her and she shrugged.

"So, go around it." She said, begrudging having to state the obvious.

"I _can't_. The controls are jammed." He told her.

"How did we not see this earlier?" She asked, confused.

"It wasn't there earlier. It just appeared." He said and she frowned as she tried to figure out what to do next. She was a combat specialist, not a physicist.

"Will it damage the ship?" She asked and he gave her a look that clearly said '_I'm not a physicist either_'.

"I have no idea. I don't even know what _it_ is." He settled for saying and she quickly looked over the scans, wishing, for probably the first time in her life, that she knew more about spacial anomalies.

"It looks quite small. Where will it hit us?" She asked.

"The cargo bay. We've got five minutes." He told her and she nodded, moving to speak into the intercom.

"All hands, evacuate the lower decks. _Something_ is about to hit us there." She told the crew, hoping that that would be enough, before she headed down to the crew deck, fully intending to observe the effects for herself.

"Commander, what's going on?" Alenko asked as he fell into step behind her, both of them stopping at the elevator to the lower decks, waiting to find out what was happening below.

"Hell if I know. Some kind of... _anomaly_." She said, shrugging.

"Anomaly?" He asked and she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I have no idea. I just hope it doesn't rip the ship apart." She admitted and he frowned.

"Do you think that's likely?" He asked worriedly and she smiled back at him, reassuringly.

"Kaidan, it'll be fine." She said with confidence she didn't feel. But, if they were about to die horribly, worrying Kaidan with the information wouldn't change things.

After a few moments the ship quaked a little before becoming still again, Kaidan and Shepard exchanged significant looks.

"Was that it?" She asked hopefully before the elevator activated.

"Commander, there's no one down there." Kaidan told her and she shrugged.

"Maybe whatever it was messed with the ship's systems." She reasoned before the elevator arrived on the crew deck.

And, inside, was a woman.

She was a little taller than Shepard, with bright blue eyes, one of which was covered by a glowing blue visor, and deep red hair that had been cut, albeit badly, into a short bob. She was wearing light armour that looked more advanced than any Shepard had ever seen, coupled with a sniper rifle and pistol strapped to her back that were so obviously advanced that Shepard was immediately itching to get a better look.

"Commander Shepard? I'm Kira Luna, Temporal Agent." She said, smiling a little, as if she found something amusing. Shepard gave herself a moment to get a closer look at the woman, Agent Luna, and noted that Luna was a little younger than her, but only by about a year or two.

"'Temporal Agent'?" Alenko asked, voicing Shepard's question, and Luna nodded, a more serious look crossing her features.

"Correct. My job is to correct anomalies in the time line." She clarified and Shepard narrowed her eyes a little.

"So, that spacial disturbance...?"

"Was me. My apologies. I had a rip a hole in the fabric of space-time to get here and methods are still... crude." She said and Shepard suspected that she was making an effort to be polite, suspecting that there was a joke hidden beneath her almost smile.

"Then why bother at all?" Kaidan asked and she raised her eyebrow.

"Didn't I just say? I'm here to correct an anomaly." She told him and Shepard could see her desperately trying to not roll her eyes.

"What anomaly?" Shepard asked and Luna gave her an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, I can't tell you. It's better if I don't divulge too much." She said and Shepard folded her arms.

"So, you appear on my ship, out of nowhere, and can't tell me why?" She asked, annoyed and confused, and Luna nodded.

"Well, I can tell you what I need from you." She said and Shepard narrowed her eyes at the woman's impertinence.

"What you _need from me_?" She repeated, incredulously, and Luna nodded.

"I can give you ident codes if you doubt me. But I do have orders for you from the Alliance. Just not the Alliance from your time." She said as she passed the files from her omni-tool to Shepard's, who glanced over them.

"We're supposed to go to Eden Prime?" She asked, frowning, and Luna nodded.

"Yes. It's about to be attacked. You were supposed to be ordered there by the Council in this time period but the anomaly has messed that up." She said and Kaidan frowned.

"The Council? They have no authority over Alliance ships." He said and Luna sighed.

"Look, I won't be able to answer most of your questions. Most of this won't make any sense to you. Until it does. Just trust me when I say that this is important." She said and Shepard narrowed her eyes once more.

"Trust has to be earned." She said and Luna nodded, finally cracking a grin.

"Oh, I don't think that'll be a problem." She said and Shepard shook her head.

"Cocky one, aren't you?" She asked and Kira shrugged.

"Maybe. If you don't mind, I'm going to find a quiet corner to hide out until we reach Eden Prime. The less I interfere, the better." She told them and Shepard nodded in understanding.

"I'm going to contact Anderson. This will be his decision." Shepard warned and Luna nodded before heading back into the elevator.

"That's okay." Luna said, shrugging, as she heading back down towards the cargo bay. Shepard turned to Kaidan, shaking her head.

"Well, that is officially the weirdest thing to happen to me. Ever." She announced.

"Yeah. How far into the future do you think she's from?" He asked and she raised an eyebrow.

"You're not even questioning the fact that she's from the future?" She asked and he shook his head.

"Did you _see_ her weaponry?" He asked and Shepard nodded.

"Yeah. My thinking exactly."

"So, how far?" He asked and she shrugged.

"Who knows. Why are you asking?"

"Because she's the spitting image of you." He told her and Shepard frowned.

"No, she isn't." She said dismissively before frowning. "I don't trust her."

"Of course you don't trust her. She appeared out of thin air and started ordering you about." He said and she nodded, glad she wasn't the only one who found the entire thing surreal. "And, she does. I mean, not exactly. She has blue eyes, you have brown, and she's taller, I think. But she could easily be your sister."

"Okay, I think I've reached my weird limit for today. I'm gonna go and talk to Anderson. Hopefully things'll start to make sense real soon..."

"Yeah, I wouldn't count on it, Shepard."

* * *

"What do you mean, I should _work with her_?" Shepard asked the hologram of Anderson in front of her, fuming.

"Shepard, she's legit." He confirmed and she gave him an incredulous look.

"Really? Because, I'm struggling to reconcile what I'm being told with, you know, _reality_." She said and he just shook his head at her.

"Says the woman currently commanding a spaceship. Who can move objects with her mind." He said and she sighed.

"But _time travel_?" She asked and he nodded.

"That's just the world we're living in today. You can trust her, Shepard." He told her and she frowned.

"How do you figure that?" She asked and he shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I can't tell you anything. But those files you passed to me from her? One was an encrypted message." He said and she gave him a quizzical look.

"From who? What did it say?" She asked.

"From me. To myself. And it had enough evidence to support what she's saying as well as a few pieces of information that lead me to believe that you can trust her. Just... Try to talk to her. See for yourself." He said and she nodded.

"Alright, then. I'll set a course for Eden Prime. And, in the meantime, I'll talk to our guest..."

* * *

Shepard approached the cargo bay uncertainly. She had no idea what to expect from Agent Luna. Her impression so far was that she was cocky and... well, that was it. She had only spoken to her for a few moments. She had no idea what to expect.

What she didn't expect, was to walk in on a private call.

"-ink the timeline is trying to correct itself. I mean, the Normandy's still here. Shepard's still in charge." Shepard heard Luna say and she hid around the corner. On the one hand, she didn't want to eavesdrop but, on the other, she hated being kept in the dark.

"_Yeah, I read that in the history banks. 'Schematics stolen from the turians led to its development'. To be honest, the only thing that doesn't play out is-_" A male voice said over her omni-tool, sounding slightly distorted, but Luna cut him off.

"I know. It seems ridiculous that it's so important but... Well, time's funny like that." She said, shaking her head.

"_So, plan? Besides getting them on track, I mean._" He asked and Luna sighed.

"Why are you asking me? You're the one with all of the qualifications." She said and the man on the other end of the line gave an audible sigh.

"_Kira, don't even start with that. Seriously, this stuff hurts my head. I __**can**__ do it, but we both know you'll do it with fewer errors._" He said, reluctantly, and she gave a small laugh.

"I'm sorry, did you just admit that I'm better than you at something?" She said, grinning.

"_Kira, quit stalling. For once in your life, please just take something seriously and tell me how to not mess this up._" He said and the smile immediately fell from her face.

"Just don't tell them anything they don't already know. Tell them where they need to be and when. That's it." She said, her tone dead.

"_Thank you._" He said appreciatively. "_Is there really nothing else I can say?_"

"Of course there is but I don't have time to go over each and every possible thing that you could or couldn't say. If you're not sure and it's not necessary, stay silent." She reasoned, her tone still dead, and he sighed again.

"_I didn't mean what I said. About you not taking things seriously._" He said and she shook her head.

"Yes. You did. And you're right." She said and the line went quiet for a few moments before the voice started talking again.

"_So, how are things going on your end? How did you get Shepard to listen?_" He asked and Shepard's ears immediately pricked up at the mention of her name.

"Told her I was a 'Temporal Agent' sent by the Alliance in the future. Technically true but I made it sound a lot more organised than reality." She reasoned and Shepard immediately frowned. So, Luna had been lying to her. But then why did Anderson think she could trust her?

"'_Temporal Agent'? I wish I'd thought of that._" The man responded and Luna gave a small smile.

"You were always a shitty liar, Tom." She told him and he laughed a little in response.

"_Yeah. I guess. So, how are you getting on with her?_" He asked and Shepard cocked her head, curious to hear the answer for herself.

"I don't think she likes me very much." She said and Shepard wondered if she had been that obvious.

"_Kira..._"

"What?"

"_You know what. This isn't the Shepard from our timeline._" He told her and Shepard frowned. Why were they talking as if they knew her? Did this mean that they weren't from too far in the future?

"Oh, she's close enough to the stories. The perfect soldier. Her first reaction to my story was to check with her superiors. You two would get on brilliantly. Seriously, I wish we could switch." She said and the man, _Tom_, laughed a little in response.

"_I couldn't agree with you more._" He said before going quiet for a few moments. "_Kira... Are you okay?_" He asked softly and Kira took a deep breath before replying, obviously steeling herself against something.

"I'm fine." She replied shortly and Shepard didn't believe her. And, apparently, neither did Tom.

"_No. You're not. Kira, __**I'm**__ not okay so I can't even begin to imagine how you feel right now._" He said sympathetically and she shook her head.

"I don't want to talk about it." She said, her voice hard.

"_Kira, we'll get him back. We'll fix this and we'll get him back._" He assured her but she just shook her head again.

"Tom, even if we stop the Reapers, the timeline has changed beyond recognition." She told him, her voice saturated with resignation.

"_You said yourself, it's trying to correct itself_." He reasoned and she gave a sad smile.

"But we no longer exist here. This isn't _our_ timeline. There will be another Kira and another Thomas born here. We no longer belong." She told him sadly and he sighed on the other end of the line.

"_I would tell you not to give up but I know that you have no intention of doing so. You may be a pessimist but you don't give up._" He said and she gave a weak smile.

"You know me. I like to expect the worst. There's a small chance I'll be pleasantly surprised." She said, a little humour in her otherwise hollow voice.

"_Yeah... You should definitely be here instead of me._" He said and she smiled a little.

"Hopefully we'll meet back up soon. I'd better go. I think someone wants to speak to me." She said before shutting off her omni-tool and turning to face Shepard. "I really must be distracted if I didn't notice you for so long." She muttered and Shepard looked a little apologetic. Her snooping may have been justified, but it was still wrong.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I just... I don't like being kept in the dark." She admitted and Luna shrugged.

"No apology necessary. I would have done the same in your position and I would have meant it." She said simply, causing Shepard to frown.

"I don't like being lied to." She said, folding her arms.

"No one likes being lied to, but everyone lies. Funny how that works." Luna said and Shepard narrowed her eyes.

"That doesn't justify it." She told her and Luna raised an eyebrow in response.

"I wasn't trying to justify anything." Luna said.

"You seemed to sure that I was going to trust you but you've done nothing so far to earn that trust." Shepard said and Luna sighed in response before nodding.

"You're going to trust me because it will quickly become apparent that I know what I'm talking about. But, for now, I'll answer any of your questions that I am able." She said, resignedly and Shepard had to admit that she was a little caught off guard.

"You were just telling your friend that he should keep quiet." She observed and Luna shrugged as she sat down on a crate.

"Tom has no real sense of time. Not in the way I'm talking about it, at least. Time is very abstract and you need to be able to think in the abstract. It's difficult to explain and, I'll admit, I'm not the most articulate person in the galaxy. Suffice to say, I won't tell you anything that could be damaging because I know what not to say. Tom does not." She said and Shepard frowned as she sat down opposite her.

"So, who is he?" She asked and Luna cocked her head a little. As if she hadn't been expecting the question.

"He's... Another Temporal Agent." She said and Shepard rolled her eyes.

"Don't forget, I overheard your conversation. I know it's a load of bull." She reminded her.

"Right. Look, shortly after time travel was discovered, it was banned. To stop things like this from happening." Luna explained.

"Things like the anomaly you were sent to correct?" Shepard asked.

"Yeah. It changed... _everything_. Tom and I were protected from the effects at the time but every major government was... just _gone_. So we did the only thing we could do. We went back to fix things. But, like I said before, since time travel was banned it hadn't been perfected. Hence my bumpy arrival. You can't travel to the same place twice. It's very technical but let's just say that it damages the surrounding time. This was the closest I could get. Thirty years away." She said and Shepard's frown deepened.

"The war? The First Contact War? That's the anomaly?" She asked and Luna frowned before shrugging.

"Not exactly. I'm sorry, I really need to stay away from that." She said and Shepard nodded, glad to finally have some answers.

"So, Luna, you didn't tell me who he was. Tom. You two sounded close." Shepard told her and Luna nodded.

"He's my brother. We worked as part of the same spec ops team before everything got messed up. And, call me Kira." She said.

"Okay then, Kira. Who was the other person you were talking about?" Shepard asked and Kira took a deep breath before shaking her head.

"I can't..." She said softly and Shepard frowned.

"Another topic you need to stay away from?" She asked.

"Something like that." Kira responded quietly and Shepard nodded.

"Okay then. So, who are you?" She asked and Kira frowned.

"I told you. I'm Kira Luna." She said simply and Shepard shook her head.

"I like to know my crew, Kira. If you're going to be here, I'd like to know who I'm working with." She explained and Kira shrugged, obviously a little confused.

"What exactly do you want to know?" She asked.

"Anything, I guess. Where are you from?"

"A little, out of the way colony. I don't think it's been founded yet." Kira quickly responded and Shepard nodded, accepting the answer.

"What's your service record like?" She asked and Kira thought for a few moments before responding.

"I guess I should be honest with you. It's hardly exemplary. To be honest, they probably would have kicked me out if I wasn't so good. That and they knew my brother would follow. I have several red marks on my record for insubordinate behaviour and a couple of commendations for quick thinking. Really, they're the same thing. It just depends on the CO." She said and Shepard sighed a little as she nodded. _Great, a trouble maker_.

"You talked about me as if you knew me. You mentioned stories…" Shepard said and Kira spent a few moments thinking before she replied.

"You weren't supposed to hear that. No one should have to live with that kind of expectation placed on them." She reasoned.

"So, do you know me?" Shepard asked and Kira shook her head.

"By reputation only. Anyway, like Tom said, you're not the Shepard from our timeline. You're similar but the war has changed you. It's changed everything." She explained but Shepard frowned.

"And yet, you came here. You came to me for help." She said and Kira nodded.

"Yeah. In this timeline you tried and failed. There was only one real difference and apparently it messed up everything." Kira told her.

"What difference?" She asked.

"I can't tell you. All I can do is guide you and hope to get things as close to my timeline as I can." Kira reasoned.

"In your timeline, in your future, there's peace?" She asked after a few moments and Kira nodded.

"Yeah. There was peace."

"Okay. Then let's get it back…"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two - We Don't Need Roads**

"_Anderson?" Tom asked as they approached the device._

"_I'm sorry, I couldn't stop them. Dammit, I told them we needed more security around here..." The older man said as Kira moved over to the controls._

"_It's them outside, isn't it? The Reapers." She asked as she started to pull up data records._

"_I'm afraid it is. I'm just glad they sent you thre- Wait, where's Caius?" He asked and Kira stiffened, although she kept on working._

"_He's not coming." Tom said and Anderson gave them both a pitying look._

"_Right. I've keyed in the nearest date and transferred the databases from both the original timeline and the new one. It should give us a starting point." Kira said before moving to the device._

"_Wait, you're not seriously considering using that thing, are you?" Anderson asked and she nodded._

"_Of course." She said and Tom took a moment before nodding._

"_She's right, Anderson. It's the only way to fix things." He said and the old man shook his head before bringing up his own omni-tool._

"_You're going to need credibility. Those databases should contain both Alliance and Turian ident codes but here; give this message to me when you get there. I'm afraid that's all the help I can give you." He said and Tom nodded._

"_That's fine. You're needed here." He said and Kira started the countdown._

"_And one more thing." Anderson said. "These aren't the people you know. Don't treat them as such. Good luck."_

"_Thank you, Sir." They responded in unison and Tom couldn't help but smile a little. Anderson must be the only person in the whole goddamn galaxy that could make his sister show respect._

* * *

"Hey, what's with the face?" Garrus lifted his head from his datapad to see his friend, and Spectre mentor, Nihlus leaning against the wall at the far side of the room.

"My father." He replied, indicating to the datapad. "Who else?"

"Let me guess; he wants you to quit?" Nihlus asked and Garrus sighed.

"We both know that he'd never use the word 'quit' but he's been pulling strings to get me reassigned to C-Sec and make it look like a promotion. He only agreed to let me sign on for Spectre training in the first place because of the war." He answered, his tone a little bitter.

"I take it you turned him down." Nihlus didn't need to ask. He knew Garrus too well.

"Of course I did." He said and Nihlus sighed.

"Not that we're actually doing anything now that the war is over." He said and Garrus nodded.

"'Keep quiet and stay out of trouble'. They have to be the most boring orders ever. Of all time." He said.

"You're just pissed because you can't see your girlfriend anymore." Nihlus teased and Garrus rolled his eyes, letting his sub-harmonics trill with annoyance.

"You're never gonna let that go, are you?" He asked and Nihlus grinned at him.

"Nope. Face it Vakarian, you've seen more of that woman than any other since I met you."

"I suppose it doesn't matter that we both spent all of that time trying to kill each other?" He asked and Nihlus shook his head.

"The line between hate and love is such a fine one." He joked causing Garrus to sigh with annoyance. The joke was an old one and had stopped being funny several missions ago.

"Stop projecting your own deviant behaviours onto me. I like my women turian, thank you very much." He said and Nihlus shrugged before moving away from the wall, heading towards the door to the corridor.

"Your loss. Anyway, come on. I think I've found something to cure your boredom." He said, grinning, and Garrus followed him out of the room.

"Where are we going?" He asked, suddenly very curious. As far as he had heard, nothing had happened on the ship all day, apart from that small spacial disturbance they hit a little while back.

"The medbay." Nihlus replied and Garrus let his sub-harmonics trill with intrigue.

"Why?" He asked and Nihlus grinned back at him.

"You know that disturbance we hit about an hour ago?" He asked and Garrus nodded.

"Yeah."

"It dropped something off." He said and Garrus's sub-harmonics conveyed his surprise.

"What did it drop off?" He asked.

"More accurately, _who_ did it drop off? We don't know. But do you want to know the _really_ weird thing?" He asked and Garrus raised a brow plate.

"Weirder than someone appearing out of thin air on a ship in the middle of deep space?" He asked, sub-harmonics trilling with disbelief as Nihlus nodded.

"Yeah. It took me a good few minutes to figure out that he wasn't you. I swear, he could be your twin." He told him and Garrus shook his head.

"I don't have a twin. Or a brother, for that matter." He said and Nihlus nodded.

"I know. That's not all, though. We tried to access his omni-tool for ident codes, to figure out who he is, but it's like nothing we've ever seen. The same could be said for his armour and weapons. They're way more advanced than anything we've ever come across." He explained and Garrus frowned.

"So, what? He's some kind of black ops agent?" He asked and Nihlus shook his head.

"Not that we've been told and we can't ask him yet. However he arrived, it knocked him out cold." He said as they arrived in the medbay. Only one of the beds was occupied and Garrus was taken aback to find that Nihlus had been right, the turian in the bed did look almost exactly like him and even had the same, deep blue colony markings. It was more than a little unnerving.

"Hey, doc. Looks like he's waking up." Nihlus observed, calling over the doctor, as the turian in the bed tried to sit up. That was when the main difference between he and Garrus became apparent. The turian in the bed had deep brown eyes, almost black in colour. It was more than a little strange to see on a turian, although Garrus had seen asari with similar eye colours.

"Shit. What happened?" The strange turian asked and Nihlus folded his arms as he regarded him carefully.

"You appeared out of thin air." Nihlus told him and the turian groaned, shaking his head.

"And I hit my head on impact?" He asked and Nihlus nodded. "Figures. I bet Kira landed perfectly. Where is she?" He asked and Nihlus frowned.

"I'm sorry but you were the only one who arrived." He said and the turian in the bed nodded.

"She'll have keyed in separate destinations. Probably best." He muttered and the doctor moved over to him, scanning him with his omni-tool.

"What's your name?" The doctor asked.

"Tom… Viktal. Tom Viktal." He said and Garrus got the distinct impression that the surname was a lie by the way he had to think over it. Although what struck him more was the strange first name.

"Tom?" He asked and the turian shrugged.

"I know, I know. Blame my mother. I always have." He joked as the doctor shut down his omni-tool.

"Rank?" He asked and Tom sighed.

"Commander." He said. "Kind of."

"Kind of?" Nihlus asked and Tom shrugged.

"Well, I was a commander when I left the military a few years back." He explained, his hand moving to rub the back of his neck as if it were causing him pain.

"Who do you work for now?" Nihlus asked him.

"The Council. Unofficially, of course." He said and Garrus frowned a little. Was he another Spectre?

"What year is it?" The doctor asked, trying to determine if Tom was concussed. He frowned at that.

"Kira said she keyed in 2183 and…" His gaze came to rest on Garrus for a moment before he nodded. "Yeah, 2183 looks about right." He said and Nihlus frowned at him.

"What are you talking about?" He asked and Tom sighed as if he were trying to figure out how to word something.

"Time travel." He said simply, ignoring their dumbfounded looks. "Bitch of a way to travel but it works." He said and the three turians quickly came to the conclusion that he had hit his head harder than they had originally thought. "Look, I have ident codes on my omni-tool. They won't prove that I'm not crazy but they will prove that I outrank you." He told them before activating his omni-tool and transferring the ident codes. Nihlus's brow plates rose at the fact that he was a black ops agent with authority that outranked a Spectre.

"He's right. He may be crazy but he outranks us." Nihlus said and Garrus frowned.

"But he's crazy." He countered and Nihlus shrugged.

"Maybe but we should at least hear him out." He said and Tom shook his head.

"Gotta love the professional attitude here." He groaned. "Kira would love you two."

"You mentioned Kira before, who is she?" Garrus asked and Tom frowned a little.

"My sister. She was a part of my team." He said before his frown deepened. "I probably shouldn't say anything else until I've spoken with her."

"You're not the CO?" Nihlus asked and Tom laughed a little.

"I'm meant to be. But Kira doesn't take kindly to being given orders and Cai can be just as stubborn when he wants to be." He said before activating his omni-tool, frowning. "Nobody hacked my omni-tool, did they?"

"No. Too advanced. In fact, if anything proves you're from the future, it's your tech." Nihlus said and Tom nodded.

"Okay. Is there somewhere I can make a call?" He asked and Nihlus nodded.

"Sure, so long as the doctor says you check out." He said before turning to the doctor who shrugged in response.

"You're fine as far as I can tell. Your implant got a little rattled but your biotics should be safe to use in another hour." He said and the other two turians frowned a little. Biotics were rare amongst turians but it went a way to explaining his high rank.

"Garrus, can you show him to a secure room?" Nihlus asked and Garrus nodded before leading Tom down the corridor. He noted how the other turian walked straight, like any respectable officer. Garrus wondered how someone like him became a black ops agent.

"So, how far into the future are you from?" He asked, still not believing his story exactly but lacking another explanation for his advanced technology and method of appearance.

"Far enough." He said, his sub-harmonics clearly telling Garrus to keep out of his business. Garrus shrugged as he opened the door into a 'secure' room.

"Thank you." Tom said before entering the room and closing the door behind him. Garrus headed to the room next door and activated the listening devices in the next room. They needed to know as much as they could about their visitor.

"_Hey, Tom. That you?_" He heard a female voice ask and he figured that it was coming through Tom's omni-tool.

"_Yeah. Where are you?_" Tom asked the voice.

"_Headed to Eden Prime right now._" The female voice answered and Garrus frowned. As far as he could recall, Eden Prime was a human colony.

"_Should we meet you there?_" Tom asked and Garrus's frown deepened. Even if he and Nihlus just took Nihlus's small ship, they still couldn't go near a human colony without being attacked by the Alliance.

"_No. Why would you?_" The female voice asked, clearly surprised by Tom's suggestion.

"_Nihlus is here._" Tom clarified and Garrus wondered what Nihlus had to do with anything.

"_Ah..._" The female voice replied before going silent for a few moments. "_No. Head to the Citadel. One more on our side will only increase our chances and we might need someone with full Spectre status later on. I know the Council won't do anything to help, regardless, but we could do without them hampering our progress._" She said and Garrus wondered just what exactly they were planning to do.

"_I hate this. You know I'm shit at all this sneaking around stuff._" Tom told her and Garrus couldn't help but agree.

"_Price you pay for being the good child, I'm afraid._" She said, confirming Garrus's theory that the voice belonged to Tom's sister; Kira. "_Wait, you didn't do anything monumentally stupid like use your real name, did you?_"

"_Well, I used Tom but... I told them my name was Viktal..._" Tom said softly and there was no reply for several moments as Garrus wondered _why_ Tom had lied and what exactly about his last name had bothered his sister so. "_Kira, you still there?_"

"_Yeah. Obviously, I would have done the same but... I just went with Luna._" She said.

"_That brings back memories. Most of which involve dragging you out of shady bars when we were kids._" He joked and she laughed a little.

"_Yeah, yeah. Hey, I just thought, I don't have to remind you to check for listening devices, do I?_" She asked and Garrus cursed as Tom responded.

"_No. Of course not._" Tom replied before the devices went dead, leaving Garrus to ponder what he had just heard. He hadn't learnt anything new, only had his theory that Tom was lying about his name confirmed.

"Learn anything new?" Nihlus asked as he entered the room.

"Not really. He called his sister just as he said he would. She's headed to the human colony of Eden Prime." Garrus said and Nihlus frowned.

"Why is she going there?" He asked and Garrus shrugged.

"No idea. But he also gave us a fake name." He said and Nihlus nodded as he thought.

"I figured as much before. I've just been talking to the techs. As far as they can tell from the internal scans, he arrived via a mini wormhole." He said and Garrus frowned.

"I'm not going to pretend that I know the first thing about physics but that doesn't seem possible." He said.

"It's possible but _way_ beyond our current capabilities. Everything seems to back up what he's saying."

"Of course it does. I'm telling the truth." Tom said as he came up behind them. "I can't believe was naive enough to think you wouldn't spy on me..." He muttered and Garrus shrugged unapologetically.

"We had to confirm that you were telling the truth." He reasoned and Tom shook his head.

"Fine. Any burning questions? I'll answer what I can." He said and Nihlus turned to Garrus, having not heard the conversation for himself.

"Why are you here?" He asked and Tom folded his arms.

"To fix the timeline. You're off track and I have to correct it." He told them.

"Off track how?" Garrus asked.

"I can't tell you that. I can only tell you where you should be." Tom explained and Garrus narrowed his eyes.

"Eden Prime." He said and Tom shook his head.

"No. Well, kind of. It's complicated. But we're gonna skip that part. It doesn't end well." He said cryptically before sighing. "Look, I'm a terrible liar and I'm not good at navigating the time stream so can I please just tell you what I know I'm allowed to and we can take it from there?" He asked and Nihlus nodded.

"Fine. Tell us what you can." He said.

"My sister is with a team headed to Eden Prime where they will encounter Saren Arterius." He explained.

"Saren?" Nihlus asked, frowning and Tom nodded.

"You probably won't believe this until we have proof but he's gone rogue." Tom said and Nihlus shook his head.

"You're right. I don't believe it." He replied and Tom shrugged.

"Anyway, we're not headed there. My sister will deal with Saren and his geth-"

"Geth?" Garrus interrupted and Tom nodded.

"Yeah. After they deal with that, they will head to the Citadel to speak with the Council before gathering some proof. We'll team up with them there." He said.

"Team up with who? Who is your sister working with?" Garrus asked and Tom sighed.

"I know you're not going to like this but you're going to have to trust me... She's working with Commander Shepard of the Alliance Navy." Tom said and Nihlus grinned before nodding.

"Okay, sounds like fun. Let's go." He said and Garrus let his sub-harmonics trill with annoyance.

"Shepard? _Really_?" He asked and Nihlus continued to grin at him.

"We all know that you're smiling on the inside Vakarian. Come on, let's get moving."


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I just wanted to thank everyone who faved and followed! Especially 1054SS325MP, Fishnets and Sovereign X22 for your reviews! They help to stop me from forgetting about this fic... ^^ There's still no clear update schedule because this is at the bottom of my to-do list. Mostly when I'm too tired to study and I get writer's block on my other fics. ^^**

**Thanks Again! ^^**

* * *

**Chapter Three - Bowties Are Cool**

"_What the hell would drive people to this?" Tom asked as he inspected the bodies of the terrorists that the Council had sent them to hunt down, taking particular note of the Reaper artifacts around the room. The whole place looked like a cult. "Do you think they were indoctrinated?"_

"_Let's not jump to conclusions." Kira said as she hacked their systems, looking for the information they had been sent after. "Some people are just plain crazy."_

"_We still shouldn't rule it out." Caius interjected as he swept the perimeter._

"_Of course not but Occam's Razor." Kira said simply as she continued to hack._

"_She says, as if it explains everything." Caius joked, rolling his eyes at Tom who shrugged._

"_Don't look at me. I'm stuck with her, you're the one who__** chose**__ to bond with her." He joked back and Kira sighed._

"_You two do know that I'm standing right here, right?" She asked sarcastically and Caius grinned at her._

"_You were talking in Kira Code again." He told her and she grinned back._

"_You know you love it." She said and he stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle and nuzzling her neck a little as she worked, earning him a raised eyebrow from her but she didn't object as long as she could still work._

"_I really do." He murmured making her blush a little._

"_You two do know that I'm standing right here, right?" Tom asked, imitating his sister perfectly. Kira threw him a glare as Caius stepped back, shrugging, and her omni-tool beeped at her._

"_Guys... I don't think this was all of them." She told them as the other two frowned at her._

"_So, where are the others?" Caius asked and Kira's frown deepened._

"_According to their plans... They're headed to the time machine. They're going to try and make a jump..."_

* * *

The communication from Eden Prime wasn't the most shocking thing she'd ever seen but this was different. This hadn't come from a team on the edges of Turian space during the war. It had come from one of their most stable colonies just after the war had officially ended. She knew that it was naive to think that things would be completely peaceful but she had hoped that things would calm down for at least a short while.

"Is there anything you can tell us?" She asked Kira but the other woman seemed to be thinking intently about something. "Kira?" She prompted and Kira finally acknowledged her, although she still seemed to be calculating something in the background.

"They're after a Prothean beacon that's been uncovered on the planet." Kira said and Shepard frowned.

"I thought the Protheans vanished over 50,000 years ago." She said and Kira suppressed a sigh.

"They weren't so great at cleaning up after themselves." She said sarcastically, folding her arms, and Shepard raised an eyebrow.

"Got a problem with me asking questions?" She asked and Kira sighed, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"Sorry, it's just... You're too much like Tom. It's kind of annoying." She said and Shepard folded her own arms at that.

"How exactly am I like your brother?" She asked and Kira shook her head.

"Always questioning things. I'm a fan of keeping quiet and looking it up in my own time." She said simply, shrugging. Shepard shook her head a little at that but Kira simply moved on. "So, we're going to retrieve it."

"'We'? You're coming with us?" She asked and Kira nodded slowly, still clearly thinking something over.

"Yeah. Someone needs to play this part..." She said and Shepard gave her a questioning look but she didn't elaborate.

"Okay. I'll take Alenko and Jenkins and head to the dig site." She said and Kira didn't object. She seemed distracted so Shepard let her be as they approached the colony. She was glad for this opportunity to finally see Kira's combat skills in action for herself. As well as get a look at how much damage that sniper rifle could do...

* * *

"How do you want to do this?" Shepard asked and Kira thought for a few seconds.

"Just do what you do best, Shepard. Go in heavy and head straight for the dig site." She said and Kaidan frowned before turning to Shepard.

"What about survivors, Commander?" He asked but Kira answered before Shepard could.

"They're a secondary objective. The beacon takes priority." She said, her tone a little harsh. Shepard couldn't help but become a little annoyed at the reminder that she wasn't running the show, but she kept her anger in check. Kira had yet to prove herself, but she deserved the chance.

"_Approaching drop point one._" Joker's voice came over the speaker as Shepard checked her equipment one last time. She couldn't help but notice that Kira chose not to wear her helmet and she had to stop herself from shaking her head at her reckless attitude.

"Kira, you're coming with us?" Jenkins asked and Shepard had to suppress a sigh. Despite Kira keeping herself hidden away, word of her unusual arrival had spread through the ship like wildfire. Most figured that she was a black ops agent sent by the Alliance, which wasn't a million miles from the truth.

"I move faster on my own." She replied shortly as she tucked her hair behind her ears, before she seemed to vanish. Shepard could practically hear Jenkins' jaw drop in response and she had to admit that she too was impressed. She hadn't seen anything like that kind of cloaking technology before. She pulled her attention back to the two soldiers beside her, determined to keep things professional despite Kira's flair for the dramatic.

"Kira will scout on ahead and feed us status reports throughout the mission. Otherwise, I want radio silence. Understood?"

"Are you sure we can trust her?" Kaidan asked, his voice low, and Shepard nodded, careful to keep her own irritation at the situation from her features.

"Anderson says we can and I trust him." She reasoned and he nodded, seemingly accepting her answer, as they touched down on Eden Prime.

Shepard drowned out the banter going between Kaidan and Jenkins as she kept her biotics flaring constantly, ready for anything. She would readily admit that her skill with weapons was average at best but it seemed that she was naturally suited to biotics and their use came as easy to her as breathing. Hence, her status as an N7.

They continued onwards and Shepard kept her silence. She was determined to keep her guard up, her gut instinct telling her that there was something just around the corner.

Her suspicions were confirmed as they encountered geth drones. She threw up her barriers to protect against their attack but Jenkins had already run beyond her range, resulting in him being shot down. Shepard quickly took care of the drones with her biotics before going over to inspect Jenkins' corpse.

"Ripped right through his shields. Never had a chance." Kaidan said but Shepard's biotics couldn't help but flare.

"He survived _years_ of warfare with the turians only to be shot down by..." She trailed off and Kaidan tried to move closer to comfort her but was repelled by the strength of her biotics.

"Shepard, there was nothing you could have done to stop it." _No. Nothing __**she**__ could have done._ She thought instantly, her biotics flaring once more as she radioed Kira.

"Did you know that this was going to happen?" She demanded.

"_Know what was going to happen?_" Kira replied and Shepard shook her head in anger.

"Jenkins. Did you know that he was going to die?" Shepard asked and there was a few moments of silence before Kira replied.

"_I couldn't have stopped it._" She said simply.

"You didn't even _try_." Shepard bit back and she could swear that she heard a resigned sigh over the comm.

"_I can't save everyone, Shepard. Please don't ask that of me._" Kira replied and Shepard's anger faded as she heard the hurt in the edges her voice. '_No one should have to live with that kind of expectation placed on them,_' Shepard remembered her saying and considered the burden the young woman must have on her shoulders. She was still angry about Jenkins' death but she knew that she should be blaming the geth, not Kira.

"Okay, then. Radio back when you find something. Shepard out." She answered and turned to see Kaidan giving her a look of disbelief. "What?"

"I'm wondering if you're simply too trusting or if you know something about Kira that I don't." He said and Shepard shrugged.

"She's just a kid, Kaidan. I think she's just trying to prove herself and I'm going to give her that chance." She reasoned and Kaidan shook his head at her.

"You're really one of a kind, Shepard." He said in amazement as they moved forward and Shepard couldn't help but smile a little at the compliment.

They kept moving, taking down the geth drones as they went. Kira remained silent and Shepard figured that she wouldn't radio until something vital came up. She and Kaidan continued on alone until they came across the female soldier that Shepard had seen in the communication back on the Normandy. She was running from several geth troopers. Shepard signalled Kaidan to help her take them down as they approached and she couldn't help but notice as one trooper appeared from thin air, much like how Kira had disappeared earlier.

She didn't let this information distract her, however, as she took down the geth before approaching the woman.

"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212. You the one in charge here, ma'am?" Williams said as Shepard regarded her carefully. She seemed like any other Alliance soldier she had served with, although she had to give the girl props for wearing white armour with pink accents. They weren't the most flattering colours on anything but a perfect figure. Shepard immediately reigned in her girly thoughts as she nodded to the woman in front of her.

"Give me a status report, Williams."

"Oh man... We were patrolling the perimeter when the attack hit. We tried to get off a distress call but they cut all our communications. I've been fighting for my life ever since."

"Where's the rest of your squad?"

"We tried to double back to the beacon but we walked into an ambush. I don't think any of the others... I think I'm the only one left."

"This isn't your fault Williams. You couldn't have done anything to save them." Shepard said, trying to keep her tone reassuring, and Williams nodded in response.

"Yes, ma'am. It's just... I spent years fighting those bird-faced bastards and I didn't lose a single squad member, and now I lose all of my squad to _geth_ of all things. You know?" She said and Shepard had to bite back a scathing comment. She couldn't abide racism, no matter which race was the target. She may have fought the turians but she had done it with honour and reason, not out of simple xenophobia.

"The geth haven't been seen outside the Veil in nearly two hundred years. Why are they here now?" Kaidan asked, sparing Shepard the trial of having to think of a polite response.

"They must have come for the beacon. The dig site is close. Just over that rise. It might still be there." Williams replied and Shepard nodded.

"We could use your help, Williams." She said, trying her hardest to not let her anger over the soldier's casual racism get the better of her.

"Aye, aye, ma'am. It's time for payback."

"You haven't seen a Special Agent pass by here?" Shepard asked and Williams shook her head.

"I don't think so. Not that I think I'd be able to identify a Special Agent anyway." She said and Kaidan couldn't help but smile at that.

"If you saw her, you'd know. She looks like some kind of cyber-assassin." He said and Shepard raised an eyebrow.

"Cyber-assassin?" She asked and he shrugged.

"Look, if we discover that she's part robot, I will _not_ be surprised." He countered and Shepard nodded in agreement.

"Move out."

* * *

Kira stood for a few moments, steeling her nerves, before decloaking. Someone had to play this point but it wasn't going to be pleasant…

"Hey Saren." She said as she appeared, alarming the turian Spectre a little.

"How do you know my name, human?" He asked and she shrugged.

"The Council sent me here to retrieve the beacon." She lied. "They figured that sending a turian may not be the best idea so they sent me instead of Nihlus."

"Well, they changed their minds." He lied back. "They thought you might need to the extra help." She tried to keep her breathing level as she lowered her gun and seemed to drop her guard.

"Thanks, I guess. This situation's bad. I didn't expect to see geth here." She focused on keeping her breathing level as she turned her back, knowing what came next was going to hurt like hell…

* * *

Shepard whirled around as she heard a gunshot sound. Kira had been silent up until that point and Shepard suspected that she was opting for stealth in order to get to the beacon as fast as she could. If she had used her rifle, she had reason to.

She hurried to Kira's position, her biotics easily dealing with all of the husks in their path. When they arrived Shepard was quick to spot the pool of blood around Kira's unconscious form. She hurried to apply medi-gel to the gunshot wound in her shoulder and the wound on her forehead from the impact with the ground.

Kira regained consciousness fairly rapidly, groaning as Shepard helped her up.

"Are you okay? What happened?" She asked.

"It was Saren. A turian Spectre. He's gone rogue and is working with the geth." She told them as her gaze fell to the dead dock workers. A reminder that she couldn't change _everything_ back…

"A Spectre? Do you have any proof?" Kaidan asked and Kira nodded.

"Yeah. I recorded our conversation. We can give it to Tom once we're done here…" She said and Shepard tried to focus on the fact that Kira was probably concussed instead of the fact that there was no way Saren could have taken Kira down without a fight…

* * *

They divided up into two teams to disarm the charges. Ashley covered Kaidan and Shepard covered Kira as they went. Shepard was sure that Kira was pushing herself too much but she let her, curious about what her boundaries were.

Shepard was so busy making sure Kira didn't pass out that she almost missed Kaidan approaching the beacon and had to run over at the last minute to yank him from the grip of the beacon, only to be trapped by it herself as it filled her minds with horrific, disjointed images of the extinction of the Protheans before she blacked out.

* * *

Shepard awoke groggily to the sight of Chakwas and Kaidan.

"How long was I out?" She asked as she sat up, noticing Kira asleep in the bed across from her.

"Fifteen hours Commander." The doctor answered and she nodded.

"What happened?"

"I'm sorry, Shepard. It was my fault. I must have triggered a security field when I got too close and you had to pull me away…" Kaidan explained and she gave her friend an understanding smile. They had known each other for years and had been through biotic training together. He was sweet but often too quick to blame himself. Shepard knew that one of the side-effects of biotics could sometimes be a difficulty reigning in emotions but Kaidan was more than a little annoying at times.

"It's fine, Kaidan." She told him and he left before she turned to the doctor again. "Am I good to go?"

"Well, I'd really like to keep you here for a while. Just to make sure the beacon didn't do any permanent damage." She said and Shepard groaned at her.

"_Fine_. But, can you leave us alone for a while? I need to have a word with Kira." Shepard said and Chakwas nodded before leaving the room, leaving her alone with the woman who was still pretending to sleep.

"I know you're up." Shepard said and Kira sat up, raising her eyebrow.

"Okay, seriously, how do you do that?" She asked.

"My biotics help me to see… I guess it's a person's life force." She explained, a little sheepishly. She hadn't met another biotic with the ability and so didn't like to talk about it. But she figured that if she wanted Kira to be honest with her, she'd have to lead by example.

"I guess that explains it." Kira replied, moving into a sitting position that Shepard couldn't help but wince at. Shepard was definitely not that flexible. "You're mad." Kira said, simply, and she folded her arms, deciding against standing up. She still felt a little faint and the last thing she needed was to collapse in front of Kira while she was reprimanding her.

"I'm confused. Kira, there's no way Saren would have seen you if you didn't want him to. Hell, you could have easily taken him out from a distance and we would be done." She said and Kira shook her head.

"We would, if Saren was working alone. You've got the visions now; you know what I'm talking about. Saren isn't the real threat, he's just a puppet and puppets can be replaced. The benefit of this particular puppet is that we know exactly what he's going to do before he does it. We have the advantage now and if I had killed him, he would have just been replaced and we would have no idea where to start." She reasoned and Shepard took a few moments to digest what she was being told before she nodded.

"Look, I appreciate you not wanting to disrupt the timeline but a little warning would nice next time. If you just tell me the truth then I can do my job." She said calmly and Kira looked a little surprised before nodding.

"I didn't expect you to actually listen." She admitted. "Okay then. I'll try to be more open with you."

"Thank you. So, where are we heading next?" Shepard asked and Kira shifted a little, uncomfortably.

"The Citadel. We're going to meet up with the rest of your crew." She explained.

"Who?"

"Well, the first person is the one Tom has been working with…" She said vaguely and Shepard narrowed her eyes a little.

"What happened to being more open?" She asked and Kira sighed.

"It's just that you're not going to like this… The person we're recruiting is Garrus Vakarian." She said and watched as Shepard gritted her teeth a little before giving an exaggerated sigh.

"Okay then." She said, finally, and Kira cocked her head a little.

"You're okay with that?" She asked and Shepard shrugged.

"If one thing has become clear to me these past few days, it's that I'm sure as hell not in Kansas anymore. I figure if I'm gonna have any chance of getting through this, I'm just gonna have to roll with it." She said and she thought that Kira couldn't have looked more shocked.

"The adaptable approach? That's… unexpected. Damn Shepard, if you keep surprising me like this, I'm gonna start doubting my ability to read people." She said and Shepard shrugged once more.

"Well, maybe you're not as terrible as I first thought, either." Shepard replied before getting down from her bed. "Despite what the Doc said, I really need to talk to Kaidan and make sure he doesn't start blaming himself. He can get a little... Upset over things." She explained and Kira nodded.

"Yeah, no problem." She said before a look crossed her features that said that she was debating whether or not to ask something.

"What is it?" Shepard asked and she was sure that this was about as sheepish as Kira would ever look.

"You and Kaidan? Are you…" She trailed off and Shepard shook her head.

"There's nothing between us, if that's what you're asking. I don't know what the Alliance is like in the future but right now they're not so big on fraternisation."

"Well, yeah but some rules were meant to be broken." She said before looking slightly alarmed. "Not that I think you and Kaidan should get together! You guys would make a terrible couple."

"Thanks for the input but I think I'll be the one deciding who I date." Shepard said in a tone that told Kira that the topic was strictly off limits and Kira nodded as Shepard left the room.

"Are you really okay, Shepard?" Kaidan asked, ambushing her as she left the medbay.

"I'm fine, Kaidan. Kira is too." Shepard said and Kaidan frowned at her.

"So, what's with you two? It's like you can't decide if you should hug her or kill her." Shepard just shrugged.

"I'm like that with everyone." She said, dismissively, and he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I guess." He answered and she sighed a little, figuring that if she couldn't be honest with her oldest friend then she was more fucked with trust than she had originally thought.

"I just… She reminds me of me when I was younger. Remember when I first went to biotic training?" She asked and Kaidan nodded. She had been defensive and short-tempered. She was still prone to isolating herself but she no longer seemed like a scrappy young kid but, rather, a strong woman. "She's no where near as bad as I was so I figure there's hope for her yet."

"Okay then." He said before changing the subject. "So, what are you going to do about Williams?"

"She's a good soldier, despite her attitude. And if this gets as crazy as I think it's gonna, we're gonna need all the help we can get..."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four - Come With Me if You Want to Live**

"_I still can't believe neither of you have told anyone. Mom's gonna kill you," Tom told his sister as he sat next to her on the beach, passing her a beer as she grinned._

"_Nope. Not even that can ruin today." He rolled his eyes at her._

"_Does it hurt?" He asked and she shook her head, her hand trailing to the newly formed scar on her neck._

"_Nope." He frowned a little at that._

"_Really? I would have thought that, with you being human and all..."_

"_Well, obviously it hurt a little. But it was a good hurt. You know?" She asked and he shook his head._

"_Nope. You know me, I am a terminal bachelor," He told her and she rolled her eyes, hitting him a little._

"_Yeah, I noticed the girl leaving your room last night. I also noticed that she wasn't the same girl as the night before, or the one before that..." She teased and he shook his head._

"_Careful, or I might not come back for you two," He warned and she smirked._

"_So, where are you going to go while we enjoy our honeymoon?" She asked and he shrugged._

"_There's plenty to explore out there. Plenty of damsels to rescue without you two cramping my style," He joked and she gave him a disbelieving look._

"_**Us**__ cramping __**your**__ style? Keep dreamin', Sparkles." He grinned at that as she used her childhood nickname for him._

"_Back at you, Robo-girl," He said as Caius approached._

"_I should have known that you were the one keeping my beloved from me," He joked and Tom rolled his eyes._

"_Do I have to give you the big brother speech or can I just trust that you've known Kira for long enough to know not to cross her?" He asked jokingly and his best friend grinned at him._

"_After all these years you don't trust me?" He joked back and Tom grinned at him._

"_Normally I would but I know how much of a bad influence Kira is," He said and his sister hit him on the shoulder._

"_Okay, you have to leave now," She told him as he made a pathetic attempt to dodge her punches._

"_Oh yeah? What are you going to do if I don't?" He asked and she kept on hitting him._

"_It's my honeymoon, assface! What do you think we're gonna be doing on a private beach?" She joked and he started to head back to the docks as he avoided her punches._

"_Okay, I did not need that mental image!" He shouted as he left. "I'll be back for you guys in a couple of weeks. Try not to get into too much trouble!"_

"_Leave!" Kira yelled back, grinning and he grinned back as he sprinted backwards away from the beach. As soon as he was out of sight Kira turned back to Caius as he wrapped his arms around her waist and she blushed a little._

"_So, care to show me exactly what we're going to be doing, Mrs Viktal?" He asked and she grinned at him._

"_I like the sound of that, Mr... Okay, let's just stick with your surname," She said and he raised a browplate._

"_Next you'll be telling me that you want to switch that pretty shade of blue for purple," He joked and she blushed a little and he could swear that it was the first time he'd ever seen Kira look sheepish._

"_I may not wholly object to the idea," She said and he grinned at her as he pulled her closer to him, nuzzling her neck, his teeth lightly grazing her newly formed bondmark, making her weak at the knees as he keyed up his omni-tool behind her back so that it began to play their song._

"_I love you," He told her softly as he touched his forehead to hers._

"_I love you too," She told him, just as softly._

* * *

"-an't access all of the files. Kira, it says they're encrypted," Tom was clearly in the middle of a call to his sister, causing Garrus to hesitate. Garrus and Nihlus had been careful to avoid Tom since they had departed for the Citadel in Nihlus's small craft. As much as they were curious, the two turians had decided that it was best to not know too much about the future. Not that Tom would tell them anything, but he wasn't the best at hiding things. So, Garrus was now struck with a dilemma. If he kept listening, he might discover something he didn't want to.

But, if he kept listening he might discover something he _did_ want to know…

"_I know. I encrypted them._" On the other hand, he might just be listening to an argument between siblings.

"Why?"

"_Why were you looking in those files to start with?_"

"I was just trying to compare the two timelines." _Lie_, Garrus thought as he continued to listen.

"_That far in the future shouldn't matter. We've changed things already. The information for this timeline is no longer accurate, and it gets less accurate the further you go._"

"Then why did you also encrypt the files for _our_ timeline?" There was a pause of a few moments before Kira replied, her tone reluctant.

"_Is this really how you want to find out? Do you even __**want**__ to find out? Trust me Tom; some things are best left buried._" Tom sighed at that.

"Yeah. You're right. I hadn't even thought about it in years but… I guess I never really let my questions go, you know?"

"_I know. I get it._ _I'm gonna have to go, okay? We'll be at the Citadel in a week so that's how long you have. I don't particularly feel like being shot down when we approach._"

"I can imagine. Don't worry, I'll get you clearance."

"_You'd better,_" Kira replied before ending the communication. Garrus shifted at that, deliberately making noise to alert Tom to his presence.

"God damn it!" Tom exclaimed as Garrus walked into his compartment in Nihlus's small ship.

"Is that some kind of future swear?" He asked as Tom moved his hand to the top of his head, wincing a little.

"Something like that…" He grumbled and Garrus couldn't help but smirk.

"You hit your head?" He asked, keeping his tone concerned instead of teasing. He and Nihlus had quickly found that Tom's sense of humour was in serious need of work. Or simply missing.

"No…" Tom lied and Garrus tried to hide a smile. He really was terrible at that.

"Don't worry about it. I do it all the time."

"This place is way too small for the three of us," Tom groaned and Garrus couldn't help but agree.

"It was barely big enough when it was just me and Nihlus. Lucky for you, we won't be stuck here much longer. I came down here to tell you that we're approaching the Citadel," Garrus told him and Tom's features became even more serious (if such a thing was even possible) as he nodded.

"Okay… This is where things get tricky…"

* * *

Tom had yet to see the effects of the prolonged First Contact War. The turian cruiser had been like any other he had served on and neither Nihlus nor Garrus seemed to hold ill-will towards the humans, which, he had to admit, would only help his mission. So, it wasn't until he set foot on the Citadel that he saw the real differences. He knew that the Citadel he knew had been rebuilt after several attacks, so he had expected things to look different. What he hadn't thought to expect was the difference in atmosphere.

There were no humans. He didn't think that the absence would be so noticeable, but it was. Especially when coupled with the fact that there were far fewer turians than he would expect. Almost every C-Sec officer he passed was an asari and he figured that the war had left few turians available for such work.

"You're staring." Tom turned to face Nihlus who was standing next to him, his arms folded across his chest.

"Right… Sorry," He answered, distractedly. "It's just… Very different."

"I can imagine. What you're looking at here is a divided galaxy. No one _agreed_ with the war but it continued on for longer than it should. It showed just how fragile things really are here and it's done nothing generate distrust for both humans _and_ turians in the galactic community. It's made us both look stubborn and bloodthirsty. But here _you_ are. A turian that's been sent to enlist the help of a human. It gives me hope for the future," Nihlus admitted and Tom frowned a little, his expression distant, before allowing his sub-harmonics to trill with question.

"Your friend feel that way too?" He asked and Nihlus raised a browplate in response.

"Garrus? Trust me; he's wanted peace for years now." Something about the Spectre's tone told Tom that there was more to the story and he couldn't help but ask.

"You've been teasing him ever since I told you that we'd be working with Shepard…" He started, hesitantly, and Nihlus nodded in response.

"Ah yes. The Shepard Mystery."

"The 'Shepard Mystery'?"

"For some reason, every mission Garrus went on, no matter where or what the objective, his opposition would almost always be Shepard. I think the humans were just as confused about it as we were, to be honest. It was probably for the best anyway. Have you seen her in action? She'd be considered powerful, even if she were an asari. Garrus could usually out manoeuvre her but he's the only one. The same could be said for him, of course. If one of his missions ever failed, you could be sure that he had been up against Shepard." Tom gave a worried look at that as he sighed, folding his arms.

"Do you think he's gonna cause problems?" Tom asked and Nihlus smirked at him.

"I think that if they don't kill each other, they'll be best friends." Tom sighed again at that, shaking his head.

"Because, you know, my job wasn't hard enough to start with," He groaned and Nihlus's grin widened.

"So, what's first on our to-do list?"

"Convincing the Council to give a state-of-the-art human frigate clearance to dock."

"Now you're _really_ asking the impossible."

* * *

Tom wished either Caius or Kira were there as he listened to the Council squabble. Caius would have had the Council on his side within minutes. Kira, on the other hand, would probably only make things worse, but he couldn't deny that, whatever she did, it would be entertaining. His patience and tolerance for bullshit was, he liked to think, quite impressive. But even he had limits. Not that it mattered since he couldn't say anything anyway. He, technically, didn't exist and so had to leave everything to Nihlus.

"Councillors, _please_. The human colony on Eden Prime _was_ attacked, you have seen the reports for yourselves," He argued and the asari councillor was the one to answer.

"I'm sure that the humans are more than capable of dealing with one attack on their own. I don't see why they have to come here."

"All we're asking for is docking clearance. Surely this far into diplomatic talks, one lone frigate isn't going to cause any problems."

"A lone frigate commanded by Commander Shepard," The Turian councillor pointed out, at which point Garrus stepped forward.

"And we'll keep a close eye on her, sir. She won't have the chance to cause any trouble." The councillors seemed more than a little shocked by this, which Tom figured made sense. It wasn't everyday someone argued _for_ their arch-nemesis.

"Fine. But we'll hold you responsible for any trouble she causes, Vakarian."

* * *

"Well, that could have gone better…" Tom muttered as they left the Citadel Tower and wandered onto the Presidium.

"I would just like the record to show that I did suggest that we bypass the Council completely. It's easier to ask forgiveness than permission," Nihlus reasoned but Tom shook his head.

"No. We had to do this right. The last thing we need is to make things worse."

"I bet you were never in trouble as a kid," Garrus said and Tom allowed his sub-harmonics to trill with humour.

"Truthfully? I was _always_ in trouble as a kid. Kira was the good one," He admitted.

"Kira? Your sister who 'doesn't take kindly to being given orders'?" Nihlus asked and Tom nodded, a little sheepishly.

"Yeah, she wasn't always like that. Always annoying though…"

"You're still mad because she encrypted some of your files?" Garrus asked and Tom gave him a slightly startled look. "I accidentally overheard."

"No, it's alright. I guess I'd have to explain when Kira arrived anyway. She's… Kira and I aren't, genetically speaking, related."

"So…?" Nihlus trailed off and Tom sighed, folding his arms.

"Honestly? I don't have all of the answers. _That_ is what's in those encrypted files. Our past. Our parents were kind of silent on the whole subject," He explained and it was apparent that the conversation was making him uncomfortable. The other two turians wondered why he had even brought it up to start with.

"How do you know you're not genetically related if your parents wouldn't tell you?" Garrus asked and Tom sighed before answering.

"Because Kira's human," He answered simply. Garrus looked at him, shocked, and Nihlus shook his head.

"You really _are_ from far in the future, aren't you?"

"Yeah…" Tom trailed off and Garrus finally found his voice again. He had assumed that Tom was only from the next fifty years or so but he found it difficult to believe that there would be any cross species family units anytime in the next century.

"If you want, I'm sure I could decrypt it," He offered but Tom shook his head.

"Thanks but Kira's IQ is about fifty points north of genius. If she's encrypted it, you'll need a supercomputer to get it back," He explained and the two turians frowned at him.

"IQ?" Nihlus asked and Tom sighed. This was going to get annoying quickly.

"It's a human test of intelligence. Basically, my sister is smarter than all three of us combined."

"Sounds annoying," Garrus observed and Tom shrugged.

"Sometimes. But she's not a biotic prodigy so I figure we're even," He joked and Nihlus frowned.

"Hey, maybe you two are some kind of biologically engineered super soldiers." Tom couldn't help but smile as he shook his head at the humour in Nihlus' sub-harmonics.

"If that's what they were going for then they failed _spectacularly_…"

**AN: Yes, I know, I know! It's a short chapter _and_ it has no Shepard/Garrus goodness but no worries! I am not a massive troll, Chapter 5 will be up in the next hour or so. Promise! ^^**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Chapter 5 as promised! Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has read and special thanks to everyone who had followed and favourited and double special thanks to Sovereign X22, IamFrog, Fishnets and 1054SS325MP for the reviews!  
**

**Hope you enjoy! ^^**

* * *

**Chapter Five - Everybody Remember Where We Parked**

"_I should have known you'd be at a bar." Kira groaned as Anderson approached._

"_Well, clearly you did know because you're here. Please tell me you're not here because __**she**__ asked," She muttered and Anderson shook his head as he sat down next to her._

"_No, your mother hasn't spoken to me about this since it happened. I heard from Tom. He and Caius are worried about you," He said and Kira sighed into her glass._

"_We all know that they've just been waiting for an excuse to kick me out since I joined," She said and Anderson regarded her carefully._

"_Still, five years of loyal service should count for more," He reasoned and she sighed._

"_Damn right it should but... We both know that I was only kept around so that Tom wouldn't leave," She told him and he nodded._

"_Kira, we both know that you have the potential to be a great soldier. So, if you want, I've got a place on the N-program with your name on it," He said and she regarded him carefully for a few moments._

"_You mean the Alliance would take me? After five years of serving with the Hierarchy?" She asked and he nodded._

"_Of course. Kira, you're the best infiltrator out there. They'd be stupid not to take you," He said and she sighed before shaking her head._

"_No. I can't be __**her**__," She told him and Anderson nodded, giving her a sympathetic look._

"_I know, Kira. I know. So, what do you plan on doing now? Tom and Caius still have a few years of service left." She shook her head at that, taking another swig of her drink._

"_Don't know. I might start a dance studio. Teach underprivileged kids or something..." She said and Anderson gave her a disbelieving look._

"_Kira, you and I both know that you belong on the battlefield."_

"_Anderson, I __**belong**__ with Tom and Caius. Anything without them is pointless. I'd just be wasting time..." She said and he sighed._

"_I can't argue that you and Tom have an unusually strong bond, even for twins." She couldn't help but snort at that._

"_Anderson, we both know __**exactly**__ why Tom and I work so well together. And I belong with Caius because I love him and I refuse to just sit at home, waiting for him," She said and he regarded her carefully for a few moments before sighing._

"_Okay, I wasn't going to suggest this because your mother would kill me but... Sometimes the Council can't be tied to something so they need black ops agents."_

"_Yeah, Spectres," She said and he shook his head._

"_Even Spectres can't do __**everything**__. You would technically be an independent contractor."_

"_A mercenary?" She asked, a little disbelieving that Anderson was suggesting this._

"_On the Council's payroll, but yes. They would even be able to pull Tom and Caius from the military service to join you," He told her and she shook her head._

"_No. They both have promising careers in front of them. Neither of them need me messing it up for them," She said, a little bitterly._

"_Kira, we both know that they wouldn't see it that way. Ask them, at least. Let them decide for themselves." She nodded reluctantly in response._

"_Alright then. I will." She returned to her drink and he nodded, standing up, but she stopped him momentarily. "Thanks, Anderson."_

"_Any time, kid."_

* * *

The crew of the Normandy didn't take kindly to the news that they would be working with turians. Shepard hadn't really expected another response but it didn't exactly give her hope for their mission. Not that she'd had any since Kira had informed her that she would be working with Vakarian of all people. But still. Their reactions had been disheartening to say the least and she wondered if the wounds left behind would ever heal.

"If you keep glaring at the window, you're gonna melt it," Joker told her as she sat in the co-pilot's chair, her gaze fixed firmly on the sight of the Citadel as they approached.

"Sorry… It's just-"

"You don't want to work with Vakarian. I know. You've said. I get it; the guy annoys the hell out of you."

"He's just so… _cocky_. It just made me want to wipe that stupid smirk off his face every time I faced him. It's like, 'Yeah, we get it! You're good. Now stop showing off about it!'" Joker just rolled his eyes at that, trying to hide a smirk.

"Look, Commander, I'm as happy about working with the turians as the next guy but, the way I figure it, you're the best we've got. No one can hold a candle to you and no one can best you. No one but Vakarian." She gritted her teeth at that.

"Your point?"

"The _point_ is that the two of you working together would be like badass squared. Cubed, if you count Kira. There's no way we can lose with a team like that."

"Unless we all kill each other first." She sighed, returning her gaze to the window, and he shrugged.

"Well, obviously…"

* * *

"And we're allowed to keep our weapons on us while we're on the station?" Shepard asked as she stood in the Normandy's airlock and Kira nodded as the airlock cycle was initiated.

"Yeah. It took some work but Tom managed it. Kryik and Vakarian will meet you outside the airlock and you can give them the recording." Shepard frowned as she checked her weapons, turning to face the other woman.

"You're not coming?"

"I am but I'll stay cloaked. Tom won't be there, either. The less we interfere in events, the better."

"Right. Because you haven't interfered _at all_ since you arrived." Kira smirked at the sarcasm dripping from Shepard's words.

"Just to get you back on track. You can handle this on your own now. For the most part, at least."

"But you're staying on the Normandy?"

"Of course. But this is your show now. I'm just an advisor." Shepard nodded at that, feeling a little better about everything. Until, of course, the airlock signalled that it had almost completed its cycle and Kira activated her cloak.

"I can't believe you're leaving me alone with him," Shepard muttered.

"You'll be fine," Kira's disembodied voice answered back and Shepard groaned.

"You know, technically, this is insubordination."

"Come on, where's your positive, optimistic attitude?"

"Ask me again after we're done here…" At that, the airlock opened and Shepard steeled herself before stepping out to face two turians. She recognised the first as Nihlus Kryik although she had never met him in person before. She knew that, as a Spectre, he worked for the Council and so had kept out of the war, although he was considered a formidable opponent. Next to him was the all too familiar form of Garrus Vakarian, although she had to admit that it was weird to see him without his sniper rifle pointed at her. It was something she'd only ever seen twice before and those weren't memories she could deal with at that moment... And then, there it was. Pulling her back into the moment and focusing her frustration into anger directed at him. That damn cocky turian grin. She glared at him as his gaze met hers and she refused to break the contact, even as Nihlus began to talk to her.

"Commander Shepard," He greeted simply and she nodded, still holding Vakarian's stare as he glared back at her, the tension between the two palpable.

"Spectre Kryik. _Vakarian_." If Garrus and Shepard hadn't been so busy glaring at each other, they would have seen Nihlus failing miserably to hold back a smirk.

"I've been told that you had a run in with Saren on Eden Prime."

"He shot one of my crew," She said shortly and Nihlus considered stepping between her and Garrus, just to see what would happen, although he decided against it. He didn't have a death wish.

"Do you have any proof?"

"A recording." She pulled up her omni-tool, finally tearing her murderous glare from Garrus and Nihlus saw his friend quickly hide a grim look in response. He knew that _something_ had happened between the two, something more than just being pitted against each other in battle, but Garrus was unusually silent on the topic.

"_Hey Saren." _

_"How do you know my name, human?"_

_"The Council sent me here to retrieve the beacon. They figured that sending a turian may not be the best idea so they sent me instead of Nihlus."_

_"Well, they changed their minds. They thought you might need to the extra help."_

_"Thanks, I guess. This situation's bad. I didn't expect to see geth here."_

The recording ended with the sound of a gunshot and Nihlus was immediately faced with a dozen questions. The first of which being why a member of Shepard's crew had referred to him when she had been lying to the other Spectre. He kept his questions to himself, however, as he regarded the human woman closely. If she was right then Saren needed to be stopped and he figured that his questions would be answered in time.

"Alright. I can't say I'm surprised. Saren's always been one of the biggest supporters for the continuation of the war. The problem will be convincing the Council. I don't think this is going to cut it," He finally said and Shepard nodded. Nihlus was terrible at reading human expressions but he was sure that he saw a flash of relief. Whatever it was, it was a nice change from the hostility she had been radiating towards Garrus.

"I figured as much. I have two leads. I suggest we split up to find them." Her tone was level and she seemed polite. She was treating him like she would anyone else and he sensed no hostility from her towards him. It was both surprising and refreshing from a human.

"Okay then," Nihlus said before he and Garrus left and Kira decloaked, smirking.

"Seriously, what is _with_ you two? You looked like you were trying to make him explode with your mind. Which, given your biotics, is actually a very real risk…" Shepard groaned at that, folding her arms defensively.

"I don't want to talk about it. Come on, you said something about a clinic…"

* * *

"You know, I'm kind of upset that we didn't get to meet the infamous Kira," Nihlus said as he and Garrus met back up with Tom.

"I'm sure you'll meet her soon enough," Tom replied, shrugging. "So… I'm not seeing any blood. Can I assume that it went well?"

"You mean, apart from the tensest staring contest I've ever witnessed? Yeah." Tom let his subharmonics trill with question, his gaze falling to Garrus who had, thus far, remained silent.

"I don't want to talk about it," He said lowly and the other two exchanged a worried glance before Nihlus shrugged.

"So, what's the lead we're tracking down?" He asked, turning to Tom.

"A krogan by the name of Urdnot Wrex. Knowing Wrex, he _should_ be at Chora's Den."

"So, you've met him before?" Nihlus asked, subharmonics trilling with surprise.

"Well, yes and no. Krogan are long-lived. I've met him, but he hasn't met me. Time travel, it messes with my head…"

"In case you didn't realise, we're all turians. A krogan isn't exactly going to be friendly towards us."

"Yeah… Damn it, Cai was always the diplomat. But I think I can get him to listen." Nihlus wasn't convinced but nodded anyway as they began to move to Chora's Den.

"You must just love impossible odds…" He observed and Tom shook his head, sighing a little.

"Not really but Kira does and I _always_ end up being dragged right along with her…"

* * *

"What happened when she met the turians?" Kaidan asked Kira as they moved through the wards, careful to keep his voice low enough for Shepard to not hear.

"Nothing. Really. She and Vakarian just sort of… Glared at each other." Kaidan just nodded at that, looking a little tired.

"Yeah, that sounds about right…"

"What is with those two? I only have access to the official files and they just said that they fought each other. That's all."

"I don't know," He admitted. "I've been trying to figure that out for years."

"If you two are talking about me, you're doing a really shitty job of being subtle about it," Shepard told them and Kira shrugged.

"Can you blame us? You're the one refusing to talk about what's going on between you and Vakarian," She reasoned and Shepard rolled her eyes.

"Last time I checked, it was a nunyo issue."

"What are you, six?" Kira asked sarcastically, folding her arms.

"Just curious about how things have changed in the future," Shepard reasoned and Kira decided to let the pathetic attempt to change the subject slide.

"This is the clinic. Be ready." Shepard and Kaidan readied their biotics and weapons as Kira cloaked.

They entered to find the clinic, surprisingly, empty apart from the asari doctor and Kira could have hit herself for the oversight. No humans on the Citadel meant no Dr Michel and no Fist. In this timeline, Tali had been killed by Saren's agents before anyone could hear her warnings. Kira was determined to fix that. She decloaked before approaching the asari doctor.

"Excuse me, Doctor?"

"Yes?"

"Has a quarian named Tali'Zorah been in here recently?"

"No, I'm sorry. I haven't seen a quarian in here for months." _Lie_, Kira thought as she silently readied her pistol behind her back.

"Are you sure? Because I heard that she was looking to sell some information to the Shadow Broker."

"Well, you heard wrong," The asari replied shortly and Kira was rapidly losing patience with the woman. The only reason she could think of for her lying would be if she had sold her out to Saren.

"You know, the Shadow Broker _really_ hates it when people get in the way of him getting information." Kira kept her tone menacing as she glared at the asari, fuelling her anger with the very real frustration she felt as she could feel the clock ticking.

"_Shit_. Look, she said she would only deal directly with the Broker but I know that no one sees the Broker and Saren offered me quite a bit for her location so I gave it."

"You sold her out for _money_?" Kira's disgust saturated her tone and the asari just shook her head.

"I didn't sell out anyone. Saren is a Spectre." _Lie_, Kira thought. Even the asari didn't believe that, she just didn't want to deal with the repercussions of having handed over the quarian.

"Well, bad luck for you, I guess." At that Kira drew her pistol and aimed it between the asari's eyes, only to have Shepard to knock it out of her hands with her biotics before turning to the asari.

"Consider that your only warning," She said harshly before leaving the clinic, her biotics pulling Kira alongside her until they were out of sight.

"Care to explain to me what the hell that was?!" Shepard demanded and Kira gave her a confused look.

"What what was?"

"You know what! You were about to shoot that asari," Shepard hissed and Kira just glared at her, her jaw clenched.

"She's a loose end. She'll tell Saren that we were there. I can't risk something like that jeopardizing the mission." She muttered back, dropping her gaze to the floor.

"No. _I_ decide what we can and can't risk. No matter the reason, we _do not_ shoot unarmed opponents. I can't deal with this kind of reckless behaviour on my crew. If you want to put yourself in danger, then fine. Be my guest. But I will not let you endanger the lives of civilians or the lives of my crew. Have I made myself clear?"

"Crystal, ma'am." At that Shepard let her biotics dissipate before she nodded. She didn't know what the hell was wrong with Kira, but she had been becoming more and more withdrawn since the events on Eden Prime and her attitude only seemed to be getting worse.

"Good. Now, come on. There has to be another way to find this quarian. Hopefully Nihlus and… _Tom_ have had more luck." Kaidan couldn't help but smile a little at that.

"Seriously? You're not even going to say his name?"

"_Kaidan_…"

* * *

It didn't take the turians long to identify Wrex in the crowd at Chora's Den. He was the only krogan that wasn't a bouncer.

"Are you sure that this is going to work?" Garrus asked and Tom shook his head.

"No, but if I let that stop me then I'd never get anything done."

"Well, you're up first and if he kills you, we'll step in," Nihlus told him and Tom rolled his eyes.

"Right… Hopefully it won't come to that." At that he moved toward the bar, sitting next to the krogan.

"What do you want, turian?" Wrex asked and Tom couldn't help but grin a little. He _knew_ that Wrex didn't know him but it was still a little too far beyond him to imagine the krogan _actually_ harming him.

"Wrex. I've got a job for you." He could instantly see that the krogan was curious. He hadn't been intimidated by him and Tom knew that that was new for Wrex.

"What kind of job?"

"Ever heard of Commander Shepard?" Tom knew that he had. Everyone had, even in this timeline.

"I might've."

"She's putting a team together."

"She's working with turians?" The surprise was clear in his voice and Tom simply shrugged.

"She's going after Saren. He's gone rogue. We were just wondering if you wanted to come along."

"So, you thought that you would just stroll up to a krogan battlemaster and ask him if he wanted to join a team filled with humans and turians to help you take down a rogue Spectre?"

"Something like that." Wrex laughed at that, shaking his head.

"You've got a quad, kid. Fine, I'll tag along for a while." Tom tried not to show his relief at that as he made his way back to Nihlus and Garrus, smiling a little at their dumbfounded looks. He just hoped that Shepard would be able to keep Wrex reigned in once they headed off.

Just as he thought that, his omni-tool beeped at him.

"_Tom? Where are you?_" Kira's voice sounded a little frantic, causing her brother's sub-harmonics to trill with concern.

"Chora's Den. Why?"

"_I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner... I hacked the Citadel systems and there's only one quarian here right now. She's around the corner from you and Saren's agents are closing fast. I'm sending you the co-ordinates now._"

"On it." He glanced at the co-ordinates before shutting off his omni-tool and activating his biotics, using them to increase his speed so that the others couldn't quite keep up.

He rounded the corner to see the Saren's assassin's advancing on the quarian and he quickly used his biotics to knock them aside, clearing the area. Once the last assassin was down, he turned to the quarian only to see that she had a wound on her right shoulder.

"Are you okay?" He asked as the last of his biotics dissipated.

"I'm fine. It's just a scratch and my suit has already sealed itself," She told him dismissively before shifting a little, awkwardly. "Thank you. For the save. I could have handled it, but thank you."

"No problem. I'm Tom."

"Tali'Zorah nar Rayya," She replied as Nihlus, Garrus and Wrex arrived.

"I'm Nihlus Kryik, Spectre. I understand you can help us prove that Saren is a traitor." Tali nodded as Nihlus introduced himself although her eyes remained on Tom, even as he stepped back.

"Then I may have an opportunity to repay you for saving my life." Her words were clearly aimed at Tom who nodded in response as Shepard, Kira and Kaidan rounded the corner.

"I see you boys just couldn't wait," Shepard said, lightly, although Kira noticed how her eyes flickered to everyone but Garrus.

"What is it you humans say? 'You snooze, you lose'?" Nihlus replied and Shepard's smile widened before she turned to the quarian, keeping her expression warm and putting the quarian at ease.

"I would suggest that we see to getting you patched up before anything else. I know you're probably being flooded with antibiotics as we speak but field repairs aren't quite the same." The turians were both a little surprised by Shepard's knowledge of quarians as they carefully noted the kindness in Shepard's words as she effortlessly endeared herself to the quarian who had never before met a human and hadn't heard the nicest things about them. They both quickly came to the conclusion that that kind of emotive power could be both a powerful tool and a deadly weapon.

"I know a place you can get patched up," Nihlus offered. "We can take the evidence to the Council in the morning."

"Sounds like a plan," Shepard replied and Tali nodded.

"Thank you."

"Never a dull moment with you, Shepard," Wrex told her as he approached and her smile widened into a grin.

"Wrex. I had my doubts about whether the turains could convince you."

"What can I say? The kid impressed me. Plus, there was no way I was going to leave you hanging. Too much fun."

"Wait, you two have met?" Nihlus asked and Shepard nodded, her grin not fading as she turned to the turian, although it was Wrex who answered him.

"Shepard here caused more than a little trouble for you turians. I was curious." Nihlus shook his head before leading them to the clinic a little while away. No one had noticed that Tom and Kira had slipped away while they were talking.

"You don't think we should stick with them?" Tom asked his sister who shook her head.

"I think we have to be _very_ careful about how we proceed from here on out. Shepard's crew haven't missed the resemblance and I imagine the turians haven't missed yours."

"No. I explained that you were human and that we weren't genetically related-"

"But they're idiots, not blind. It won't take long for them to piece together the truth if we're not careful."

"Not that _we_ know the truth."

"No," She lied, "but even a partial truth could make things awkward. Could you imagine? 'Hey Kira, why does your brother look exactly like Garrus? And why do you look exactly like me?'. This is weird enough as it is."

"So, we keep to ourselves?"

"Yep." Tom sighed a little before folding his arms and changing the subject.

"So, _that_ was Tali'Zorah?"

"Yeah. I know that these aren't the same people we've heard about but... It's weird. Especially with Shepard." Tom nodded at that as he saw his sister's features darken..

"Kira, what happened?" He asked her and she bit her lip as he saw her become agitated.

"That was too close today. I can't afford to make mistakes but... I can't believe I didn't _see_ it!" She cried out with frustration and her brother could see the tears she was desperately trying to hold back.

"Kira, how long has it been since you slept?"

"A few days. I just... I can't..." She trailed off and he pulled her into a hug, knowing full well what was eating away at her. Kira hadn't slept alone in over five years. "I keep on turning around and expecting... I know it's dumb but I've always had the two of you and now you're all I've got."

"Hey, it's okay, piccina," He muttered, using the name their mother had used for her when she was small. "It'll be okay..."

"What if we can't get back?" She whispered and Tom shook his head.

"You can't think like that, Kira."

"Tom, even if we _can_ get back, we need to stay. At least until the Reapers are dealt with. Once and for all." Her one was one of resignation and Tom frowned as he realised what she meant.

"Kira, that'll take _years_ and you're-"

"No. Stop right there. It's just fresh right now. I'll get over it. I just need time. Which, funnily enough, is something we're a little short on right now." She was angry and frustrated in a way he hadn't seen since they were young.

"Hey, it's okay, Robo. I've got your back." She smiled at that, wiping the tears from her eyes as she pulled herself together.

"And I have yours, Sparkles," She replied as she continued to dry her eyes. "Shit, my make-up's running everywhere. Can you see-"

"Don't worry. You're still all covered up," He said as her omni-tool beeped and she laughed at the message.

"What is it?"

"Looks like everyone's decided that copious amounts of alcohol are in order and I agree. Although, we should probably keep our distance while everyone else is around."

* * *

"I take it you're not a dancer either?" Shepard asked as she sat next to Kira. Kira had been sitting alone in a booth at the back of the club and Shepard was concerned. There was no doubt that she was good, she had managed to go completely unnoticed on Eden Prime until she had wanted to be, but her attitude was going to be a problem and Shepard didn't need it on top of the xenophobia of her crew.

"Actually, I am but dancing's no fun without a partner." Shepard could see that Kira was hurting and it didn't take a genius to figure out why. She had left everything behind except her brother. Shepard wondered if everything here felt as alien to Kira as it did to her.

"Wanna talk about it?" Kira frowned at that as she leant back, folding her arms.

"Why are you doing this? Trying to be my friend."

"Why wouldn't I? I like to know my crew. I can't work with people I don't trust."

"What about Vakarian? You two are going to have to work together." Shepard sighed at that, her gaze resting on the wine in front of her.

"That's a... Complicated issue."

"You tell me yours, I'll tell you mine."

"Fair enough but not that one. I need to make sense of it myself first." Kira frowned a little at that before nodding.

"Alright, which of my secrets do you want to know?"

"Who was your dance partner?" Kira frowned at that as her gaze flickered to the bar.

"Really? That's what you're going to ask? Not about my turian brother?" Shepard shrugged.

"Well, I'm curious about that too but I figured you'd only give me one and Tom will probably be explained in time." Kira sighed at that, nodding.

"You're probably right. Alright, he was my childhood sweetheart and I've known him since we were kids. He's terrible with weapons, almost as bad as Tom, but he knows ships and he could talk anyone into anything. Including me into marrying him."

"So he's-?"

"He is my husband, yes. Or was. Or will be. I don't know. Time travel. I don't know if this timeline replaced ours or if it's completely separate. It doesn't really matter, we need to stay here but... I don't think I've gone more than a week without seeing him in ten years."

"I'm sorry." Shepard wasn't really sure of what else to say.

"It's not your fault." At that Kira took another drink, frowning as her hair fell into her eyes. "I don't suppose there'll be any hairdressers on the Citadel given that there aren't really any humans here."

"I wasn't going to say anything," Shepard replied, referring to the misshapen way Kira's hair had been cut into a bob.

"The trip here was a little bumpy," Kira explained vaguely before folding her arms. "So, I told you my story. Don't I at least get a hint at what's bothering you? Besides the obvious, I mean."

"What makes you think anything's bothering me?"

"Because you're known for throwing yourself into things and giving _everything_ your all. I expected the glaring when we first met up with the turians but since then you've been avoiding him." Shepard frowned at that.

"You seem to know an awful lot about me."

"I've had a week aboard your ship to observe. So, I want to know what Vakarian did to make you avoid him." Kira regarded Shepard carefully as she sighed, folding her arms and leaning back.

"It's less about what he did and more about what I did. I did something that I'm-"

"Less than proud of?"

"No. That's what's so... I don't know how I feel about it and that uncertainty bothers me," Shepard confessed before frowning and shaking her head. "I'm sorry, I have no idea why I'm telling you this."

"Because I get it. Trust me, uncertainty and I are old friends."

"Yeah, well, I'll get over it. I guess I'll have to." Kira nodded at that as Shepard repeated her earlier sentiment.

"Here's to 'getting over it'," She said, raising her glass.

* * *

"Garrus, I'm worried," Nihlus told him and the other turian looked up from his drink.

"What about?"

"You. You and Shepard specifically. I get the feeling we'll be working with her for a while yet and I need to know that you won't be an issue."

"I'll manage," He replied shortly and Nihlus sighed.

"You're really not going to tell me what happened, are you?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Really? Because we're at a bar filled with good looking women and Tom is hogging them all while you are frowning at your drink." Garrus raised a browplate at that.

"Tom? Really?"

"The kid's got some moves, I'll give him that."

"Wonder what his sister thinks about that."

"I actually haven't seen her yet. Although I have to admit that I'm curious..." Garrus shook his head at that.

"Honestly? I think I'll be happy if I never see another time traveller again. This whole situation is just _too_ weird."

"You're just mad that you have to work with Shepard. Although it's not because you hate her, which I find to be the most curious thing about today."

"Really? Not the time traveller with the human sister or working with a krogan? The fact that I don't hate someone is the most surprising thing about this situation?"

"Yeah." Garrus just sighed at that.

"Yeah... I might have to agree with you there..."


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: This chapter is a _long_ one. I think most of them are going to be from here on out. Few but long. Which is good because I have just enough time-travel related quotes for chapter titles. Some of them ended up being pretty obscure... ^^**

**Once again, thanks to everyone who has read and special thanks to everyone who had followed and favourited and double special thanks to Sovereign X22, barbex, falconaiur and 1054SS325MP for the reviews!**

**Hope you enjoy! ^^**

* * *

**Chapter Six - ****Be Excellent to Each Other and Party On, Dudes**

"_Frankly General, I don't give a damn," Caius said causing his superior's sub-harmonics to trill with disbelief._

"_I suggest you calm your friend, Vaka-" The General started but Tom cut him off._

"_No, Sir, he's right. I'm sorry but no one has treat Kira with anything but animosity from the moment she started training. And now you're just going to kick her out for no good reason," He growled and the General let his own sub-harmonics growl back with anger, hoping that it would but the two boys in their place but they both held their stance._

"_You both know damn well that if anyone else tried to pull the shit she does on a regular basis, they would have been kicked out years ago. We put up with it because she's good and because you two have made it clear that if she goes, you go." Tom's sub-harmonics began to growl with straight up fury that he put little effort into holding back._

"_That's still true." At that point Caius put a hand on his shoulder, nodding in agreement._

"_It'll take a better turian than you to keep me from her side, Sir," He said and the general regarded them both carefully._

"_You need to think about this before you do anything rash. You both have promising careers in front of you and I'm sure that Kira wouldn't want you to give them up on account of her failures." Tom shook his head at that._

"_My sister is not a failure! Crazy and reckless and more than a little selfish at times, yes. But not a failure. Never a failure. And people like you need to stop treating her like she is!" He argued and Caius' sub-harmonics trilled with agreement through his own angry growl._

"_General, you're never going to win this argument. We're going," He said simply and the general narrowed his eyes at them before shrugging._

"_Fair enough. Although I doubt your parents will take kindly to the news..." He said slyly and Caius just shrugged._

"_Meh. My parents have always been the 'follow your heart' kind of people," He reasoned and Tom nodded._

"_My dad'll think it's great. My mom... Well, I'll just make sure I'm on the other side of the galaxy when she finds out." Caius couldn't help but laugh a little._

"_Hey, I've got your back, bro," He said and Tom rolled his eyes._

"_You have been spending way too much time with my sister..."_

* * *

Kira woke up with a groan as she felt someone shaking her shoulder.

"Nmmm... Cinque minuti, amore mio..." She muttered and Tom sighed, not wanting to awaken his sister from her half-dreaming state in which everything was right with the world. In which she still had Caius.

"Come on, Kira. I've got coffee." She sat up at that, groaning, as he passed her a cup before drinking his own.

"Where are we?"

"Hotel room, remember?" She shook her head before she frowned.

"Wait, why am I on the sofa? Did you have someone over while I was passed out?!"

"What? No!"

"So are you trying to tell me that you went out drinking and _didn't_ come back with a date? I'm shocked! Could you be losing your touch?" She teased and he rolled his eyes.

"Shut up. I was just too busy dragging your drunken ass here." She snorted at that before frowning as her gaze swept the room.

"You're lying. There was another person here last night."

"Tali was kind enough to help me haul you back up here and help me sober you up." Kira frowned at that as her memories of the night before started to trickle back.

"Yeah... Did she... This might be completely random but did she cut my hair?" Tom nodded at that.

"You were bitching about it being uneven and, since quarians also have hair, she offered to help you out." Kira cocked her head a little at that before moving to the mirror and frowning at the fact that most of her red hair was now raven black creating the illusion of dark flames framing her features, similar to how she had dyed it when she was a teenager.

"I'm guessing drunk-me was trying to throw everyone off the scent regarding who we are," She commented, deciding that she probably didn't want to know _what_ she had dyed it with, as she started to cover the small, purple markings that were showing through her makeup before downing the end of her coffee. "On an unrelated note, where the hell did you get _coffee_? There aren't any humans here."

"There's asari. Apparently they're quite interested in human culture now that it's not such a problem issue."

"And they didn't raise an eyebrow at a turian buying levo coffee?"

"Well, I may have used my considerable charm to get her to drop her questions."

"You mean you flirted."

"No need to sound so judgey."

"I'm not. Just, you know, keep it at flirting. The last thing we need is to mess up the timeline because you couldn't keep it in your pants." Tom rolled his eyes at that.

"Anyway, it wasn't too difficult. There are plenty of turians that aren't levo-sensitive."

"They still probably wouldn't be drinking coffee, though. Okay, am I covered?" She asked and he nodded.

"Yeah. I take it you didn't tell anyone about Caius?"

"Well, I told Shepard but I may have missed out the bit about him being turian. She barely got her head around us being siblings... I think. She didn't really talk about it. Maybe she figured I wouldn't tell the truth... Anyway, I don't think she's quite ready to wrap her head around human/turian relationships yet." Tom frowned at that, his sub-harmonics trilling with concern.

"But-"

"I said 'yet', Tom. She was killing them not three months ago. Besides, I'm not here to play fucking matchmaker. The future's changed, remember? Some things just can't be fixed. Anyway, I'm off to meet Anderson with Shepard. Can I trust you to not do anything stupid like create a predestination paradox and become your own grandfather?"

"Yeah, Yeah. Tell Anderson I said 'hi'."

"He doesn't even know you," Kira pointed out and he groaned.

"Have I mentioned how much I hate time travel?" She smiled at that but Tom noted how it didn't really reach her eyes.

"Kira, are you okay?" He asked as she began to head out of the room.

"Of course," She replied, dismissively.

"Really? Kira, come on. Talk to me." She sighed at that, although she didn't turn back to face him.

"I laughed," She muttered and his sub-harmonics trilled with question.

"Kira?"

"Just before things went to hell... I _laughed_..." He frowned a little before it dawned on him exactly what she meant.

"_And... There you go. Told you I could get the engines back on line," Caius told the twins as the three of them tested the engines from the cockpit._

"_I never doubted you," Kira said and Tom laughed a little._

"_Liar." She shrugged at that as her bondmate leaned over the back of her chair, playing with her long hair._

"_Okay, maybe I doubted you a little, but __**only**__ because this ship is ancient and you're keeping it together with tape and bits of string." Caius nodded at that._

"_Maybe it's time for a new one," Tom ventured._

"_Yeah, maybe bigger too," Caius added and Kira swivelled her chair around to face her bondmate before standing up._

"_Cai, unless we get a bigger crew, a bigger ship would just be a waste of fuel," She pointed out as he pulled her close and started nuzzling her neck. Tom rolled his eyes and turned his back on the couple, doing his best to ignore them._

"_I'm not thinking of a bigger __**crew**__, per se..." She frowned for a moment before becoming a little startled as she realised what he meant. She laughed out loud to cover up her flustering._

"_Us? Parents? __**Please**__," She joked as she shook her head, before leaving the room._

"I... I didn't mean it. It was just... He caught me off-guard and I hadn't really... We hadn't _really_ talked about it... About if it would even work. I just... I didn't mean it." Tom nodded at his sister as she folded her arms.

"He knew, Kira."

"_You know she didn't mean that right?" Tom asked his friend, turning around in his chair as his sister left the room only to see his friend grinning._

"_Oh, I know," He replied as he sat down in the co-pilot chair that Kira had just left. "Six months."_

"_That would be impressive, even for you."_

"_Want to put your money where your mouth is?"_

"_After last time? No way."_

"Six months?! That cocky son of a..." Kira trailed off as the sadness returned to her eyes and Tom took hope from the short glimpse of the side of his sister that she rarely let surface. It was the part that only Caius had ever been able to truly draw out of her. "Thanks, Tom. I needed that."

"Hey, I've got your back, Robo. Remember?"

"Yeah. I'll catch you later, Sparkles," She told him as he headed out of the door before she frowned a little. "Wait, you two used to bet on me?!"

"Have to go!" He yelled back as he made a joke of sprinting away from her.

"Bastardo!"

* * *

Shepard didn't cope well with little sleep. Never had, although her biotics made it worse than it had been when she was younger. She had barely gotten two hours the night before and all of it had been plagued with memories that she would rather forget. Not because they were unpleasant (some parts were but others... weren't) but because they made her unsure and she hated that. She hated the lack of certainty, especially about her own feelings.

Maybe she was just too stubborn to admit that she had made a mistake a year ago but she didn't really believe that she had. No matter how others would see it, she stuck by her decision. She just didn't know why...

By the time she reached Anderson's office, Kira was already there. Shepard hated being sneaky or dishonest but Kira had already admitted that _she_ would eavesdrop on _her_, and probably already had been. Doing the same only seemed fair.

"So, how are you and Tom dealing with... Well, everything?" Anderson asked and Shepard's ears pricked up as she wondered just how much Anderson knew about the two time travellers.

"How much do you know?" Kira asked him, answering Shepard's curiosity.

"Enough. Who you and Tom _are_, at least."

"I bet _that_ threw you through a loop." The humour in Kira's voice was obvious and Shepard suspected that she was grinning.

"I'll admit, it's not easy to believe. Especially given... Well, _everything_."

"You have to understand that the galaxy we come from is very different. It was _unusual_, sure, but not like this..." She trailed off, leaving Shepard to wonder what the hell they were talking about. "Anyway, you know _who_ we are but do you know _what_ we are?" That caught Shepard's attention once more as she wondered what Kira meant.

"Yeah. And I also know that Tom _doesn't_." Shepard recognised Anderson's disapproving tone all too well.

"No judging," Kira said sharply. "_She_ made exactly the same decision and you didn't give _her_ any crap about it." Anderson sighed at that as Shepard wondered who _she _was.

"No. But maybe I should have."

"Maybe," Kira agreed. "But it's too late now. I'm just cleaning up _her_ mess. Finding out _wrecked_ me. I can't do that to Tom."

"So, how are you and Shepard getting along?" Shepard was a little startled by the change of topic but curious to know the answer as Kira sighed in reply.

"Surprisingly, not bad. Kind of. I don't know... I wonder if I was as bad as everyone else for buying into the legend. I... I've always known that I was... _Harsh_ towards her but... She's just a person." Shepard was a little perplexed by that. Sure, Kira had an attitude problem but she hadn't really thought that it was directed at _her_ specifically.

"You're only just realising this now?" Anderson asked jokingly and Shepard could practically hear Kira roll her eyes.

"I don't think you appreciate just how surreal this is for me but… I'm trying. I just hope it's enough." At that, Shepard decided to stop hiding around the corner, finally knocking on the door.

"I see you two started without me." The other two didn't seem to realise that she had been listening in on them as she sat down, taking note of the rather drastic change to Kira's hair.

"So, you found a hairdresser?" She asked and Kira shrugged in response. Shepard couldn't help but notice how her mood seemed a little lighter than it had been the day before.

"Our new quarian friend, actually. Or, at least, that's what Tom tells me." Shepard couldn't help but grin at that as she turned back to Anderson who seemed to be watching the two of them closely. She wondered, for perhaps the hundredth time, what exactly he knew that he was keeping from her.

"So, Anderson, want to come back to the Normandy yet?" She asked him and he sighed.

"I leave you in charge for a few weeks and suddenly you're working with time travellers and turians. Only you, Shepard."

"That's why we need you back, Sir."

"No, Shepard. I have to stay here. This has only complicated things with the turians. The only reason why the Council are even willing to listen to you about Saren is because you've got Kryik and Vakarian vouching for you but I doubt the Council will put much effort into helping you, even if you convince them. They'll see it as a remnant of the war and you know how they wanted to keep out of that mess. Because of that, both the Alliance and the Hierarchy want this dealt with quickly and they figure that a team headed by you and Vakarian-"

"Wait, Anderson, I don't mind him being on my team (well, I do but I'll live) but you're seriously expecting me to work as his _partner_?" Anderson sighed at that as Kira tucked her hair behind her ears and tried to not fidget. She hated sitting still when she was trying to think and right now the problem of getting Sophia and Garrus to work together was occupying a significant portion of her brainpower.

"He's still a Spectre inductee so Kryik will be there with him along with Kira and Tom. You also have permission to recruit _whoever_ you think will be able to aid you in your mission. You'll have plenty of buffer but you really _do_ need work with him, Shepard. Unfortunately, your exploits against each other have become a bit of a legend. You two working together would be the ultimate symbol of peace between our two peoples."

"Yeah, yeah, political bullshit. I get it." Shepard sighed and Kira raised an eyebrow as she wondered what the hell had happened between them and how she going to fix it…

* * *

Shepard felt as if she'd never get used to the Citadel. It was too big, too alien. The Presidium actually felt as if you were outside and she almost forgot that she was on a space station. Although, she wondered if it technically counted as 'outside' since it was so big…

She was pulled out of her thoughts by her hunger as she remembered that she hadn't had time for food that morning.

"We've got a couple of hours before we have to meet up with Nihlus. Want to see if asari cuisine is any good?" She asked and Kira nodded.

"I already know that it is but I could go for some," Kira replied, smiling and Shepard gave her a slightly quizzical look.

"You seem to be in a better mood than you were yesterday," She observed and Kira shrugged.

"You can blame my brother. If there's one thing he's good at; it's cheering me up." Shepard smiled at that.

"You two seem close. It's sweet," She commented and Kira cocked her head before frowning.

"Wait a minute... You're treating me like a kid. You think of me like I'm still a kid, don't you?" Kira asked and Shepard frowned a little before realising that that was _exactly_ how she saw her, despite her age.

"I, erm, I guess I do," She admitted and Kira rolled her eyes.

"Well, stop. I'm twenty five."

"Sorry. I can't help it. You remind me of me when I was younger." Kira sighed at that.

"_Great_. I travel back decades into an alternate timeline and I still can't shake my reputation as a troubled kid." Shepard shrugged at that, knowing the feeling all too well.

"People only treat you as a troubled kid if you act like one," She pointed out and Kira sighed before nodding.

"And if people treat you like one, you're going to act like one. I've done this dance before, Shepard."

"I'm just saying that, no one here knows you and if you decide to leave your past in the future then I'm willing to give you a clean slate and not treat you like a kid any more." Kira looked a little surprised by that before finally nodding.

"I... I guess it can't hurt to try." Shepard smiled at that, glad that she seemed to be getting through to her new team member. She hated having people on her team that she didn't know well. It threw her off balance.

"So, are you going to tell me why you were a troubled kid or am I going to have to guess?" Kira shook her head at that.

"I'm still a little… Confused about why you're showing so much interest. We don't have to be besties for me to do my job." Shepard shrugged in response.

"Like I said, you remind me of me when I was younger. You're a good soldier Kira but I think you have the potential to be more," She admitted. Shepard had always prided herself in her ability to read others and she had to admit that she was more than a little disquieted by the mirror image of herself that she saw in Kira. Kira simply snorted in response. "What? What's so funny?"

"My mother used to always tell me the same thing and I _hated_ her for it. I always thought that she expected too much from me and was pushing me too far." Shepard shrugged at that.

"I can't say I have much experience in the parent department but it sound like she was just looking out for your best interests."

"Okay, let's not turn this into a guilt session about how cruel I was as a teenager."

"Alright. I also just wanted to make it clear that I'm not trying to drill you for information about… The Shepard from your timeline, if that's what you think. Because that's what she is. She isn't me, whoever she is. I can't... You can't judge who I _am_ on who I might one day _be_." Kira nodded at that.

"You're similar, for sure, but… Different. I think. Maybe I just never really knew her…" She trailed off at that before shrugging. "Never mind."

"Well, anyway, I just like to know my crew. Like I said last night; I can't work with you if I don't trust you."

"You're not spending this much time with Kaidan or Ashley." Shepard shrugged at that.

"I've known Kaidan for years; I don't really _need_ to get to know him. And Ashley… If there's one thing I can't tolerate, it's intolerance. I'll admit that, while you have a serious lack of respect for rules and protocol, I'm finding it easier to give you a chance. I'm certainly not going to take Ashley with me on ground missions until she can prove to me that she won't start shooting our allies," Shepard explained as they sat down in an asari café, ignoring the stares that followed them.

"Oh! They have taas here…" Kira said and Shepard gave her a quizzical look. "It's… Kind of like turian tea."

"Turian?" She asked and Kira shrugged.

"I'm not allergic to dextro or anything," She reasoned and Shepard shook her head as she realised just how different things were going to be from here on out.

"Me neither, so I guess I'll try it." Kira grinned at that.

"You know, it's nice to know that, despite your reputation, you had a rebellious streak at some point."

"It's not really a rebellious streak. I _have_ rules that I follow strictly. They just don't always align with the Alliance." Kira noted a hint of _something_ beneath her words and it didn't take a genius to figure it out.

"Is _that_ what happened between you and Vakarian? You followed your own rules instead of the Alliance's?" Shepard frowned a little at that.

"I guess I did. Anyway, I'm not talking about this. So, don't think I've forgotten, why were you a troubled kid?" Kira rolled her eyes at that.

"I just told you. Unreasonable expectations."

"That's not the whole story." Kira sighed at that.

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours." She said simply, repeating what she had said the night before and Shepard grimaced a little. She had always led by example and she figured that if she wanted Kira to be honest, she would have to be too.

"Okay, that seems fair. As far as the Alliance is concerned, the period between when my grandmother died and when I ended up in the hospital with biotic exhaustion doesn't exist. A powerful biotic teenager with no legal guardian to speak for her? The Alliance thought all of their Christmases had come at once." Kira frowned a little at the distant look in Shepard's eye as she thought about her childhood.

"Your file's kind of sketchy on your past…"

"Isn't it the same as the _other_ Shepard?"

"The Shepard from my timeline didn't grow up during the First Contact War," Kira pointed out and Shepard folded her arms. She hated talking about her past. Then she dropped her arms and her expression softened as something occurred to her.

"So… Her parents?" She asked softly but Kira shook her head.

"They were killed by Batarian slavers when she was six. She was raised by her grandmother for five years until she died. After that she ran with gangs on Earth until she discovered her biotics." Shepard sighed at that before nodding.

"I guess some things just don't change. My file's sketchy because the daughter of two respected Alliance officers sounds better than an orphan who grew up on the streets." Kira regarded her carefully at that before continuing on.

"You know, it would be perfectly understandable if you hated turians."

"I don't hate them. They're just soldiers following orders. Just like me. My parents didn't agree with the war and neither did Nonna. If there's one thing I learnt from them, it was that I can't hate the soldiers for doing their job. I _can_, however, hate the people at the top who kept this war going for so long. People that you yourself have told me were at least influenced by Reaper forces from your time… Which sounds ridiculous."

"Trust me; I am _well_ aware of how crazy this all sounds…" Shepard laughed a little at that before changing the subject.

"So, what's your story?" She asked and Kira shrugged.

"Like I said, I... I was kind of a cruel teenager. Especially towards my parents. I'm not saying they didn't deserve some of it but... I was unnecessarily cruel." Shepard couldn't help but roll her eyes at that.

"Be more vague," She told her sarcastically and Kira shook her head. "Come on, I can't imagine a little backstory is going to corrupt the timeline or anything like that. Plus, having a mysterious past is _my_ thing. You can't steal it." Kira couldn't help but grin at that as she sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Fine. I found out something that... Left a lasting scar. I can't tell you exactly what. But my parents had kept it from me and I found out and I got so upset that I just... _vanished_." Shepard frowned at that.

"Vanished?"

"Yeah. I just... couldn't stay anymore. Eventually I came back but nothing was ever the same."

"What made you come back?" Shepard asked. She couldn't really imagine the situation Kira was describing. Sure, she'd been on the streets when she was younger than that but it hadn't been her choice, although she had known kids who had chosen to leave their homes behind for one reason or another.

"Anderson found me after about a month. He was a friend of the family and he knew that if I saw either of my parents, I would freak."

"So, what did he tell you to make you come home?"

"He reminded me that Tom needed me," Kira said simply and Shepard frowned.

"How close are you with your family?" She knew that she had left her husband behind but she wondered if she had also left her parents.

"My relationship with my mother never really recovered after I came back. Neither of us really trusted the other again. It got easier when I left home for the military but it was never the same. My dad and I are quite close but, really, my family boils down to Tom and Cai." Kira's expression was grim at that and Shepard was once again reminded of the young woman she had once been. Although, she had never had the uncertainty that seemed to plague Kira. At least, not until Vakarian.

"So, am I ever going to get the story behind your turian brother?" Shepard asked in an effort to change the subject and Kira shook her head.

"Probably not," She answered simply but Shepard didn't give up so easily.

"Was it weird? Growing up with him?"

"No. I don't know anything else."

"You two seem…"

"Inseparable? Yeah, neither of us had an easy time as kids."

"Because you're human and he's turian?"

"A little but not as much as you might think. Mostly it was because I was miles ahead of my year group, both physically and intellectually. And once Tom's biotics kicked in… Both of us were outsiders. Cai was really the only one either of us could call a friend," She explained and Shepard frowned a little at that.

"Sounds like turians just as bad as humans when it comes to biotics," She observed and Kira shook her head.

"Worse, actually. And then, on top of it all, I was a selfish bitch and left him to deal on his own. But, my point is that we've only ever had each other. Plus, with his biotics and my tech, we make a pretty awesome team."

"Am I going to get to see this dream team in action?"

"We'll see…"

* * *

Shepard hated politics. She would be the first to admit that she had a fiery temper (a trait most thought was a side-effect of her biotics but she knew that, as her Nonna had been so fond of telling her, she had inherited it from her mother) and it had a habit of flaring up when she had to deal with political bullshit.

So, as much as it was an honour to be seen by the Council, Shepard spent most of her time wondering if killing the human ambassador would get her into trouble.

The answer the sensible part of her brain kept coming back with was yes. But a girl could still dream.

It wasn't really her fault, though. Anyone could see that he was cocking it up and she could see the worried glances Tom and Kira were exchanging, although neither one of them did anything. Eventually she just couldn't take it anymore and stepped in front of the ambassador, hoping beyond hope that she didn't foul this up.

"Councillors, with all due respect, Nihlus _has_ the evidence and _his_ assessment is that Saren has gone rogue. If you can't trust your own operative, then who can you trust?" The Councillors seemed momentarily taken aback by that but Shepard held her stance. Udina had been prattling on for too long and had made it seem like this was a human agenda, the one thing most likely to turn the Council away.

"You must understand that Saren is one of our top agents. We can't just accuse him without proof." Shepard nodded at that. She herself didn't understand why it had taken so long for Udina to actually get around to playing Tali's recording for the Council. And, she had to admit, that she was having to hold back a grin as she felt him seething beside her.

Once the recording had finished playing, Shepard couldn't help but note the anger radiating from the turian councillor. She figured that he would be the least receptive to their arguments but she could now see that he was going to actively stand in their way.

"I recognise that other voice. That's Matriarch Benezia," The asari councillor said and Shepard got the feeling that they were finally getting through. "I don't understand, she worked as a diplomat _against_ the war. Why would she help Saren attack a human colony?" Shepard shrugged at that, trying to keep her expression and movements as open and honest as possible, hoping that the gestures translated across species.

"We don't know, but hopefully we can find out. The only thing we _know_ is that, for whatever reason, Saren is moving against this new and fragile peace and I don't think we can afford for him to succeed." She could see that she was swaying the asari and salarian councillors but the turian one just seemed to be getting angrier.

"Are we really going to trust this human over our top agent?!" He asked incredulously and Shepard suppressed a sigh as she prepared her reply but, before she could answer, _Vakarian_, of all people, answered for her.

"We all know that Saren is one of the most vocal protesters against this war. Is it really so hard to believe that he could be responsible for this?" Shepard tried to hide her surprise at that. She was very aware of the fact that he had been avoiding her as much as she had been avoiding him. But here he was, standing up for her. She found it more than a little confusing.

"You're siding with a human against one of your own?" The turian councillor asked and Shepard couldn't deny that she was more than a little curious about the answer.

"Sir, it's obvious what's really going on here. Saren is a traitor to the Council and a disgrace to our people. Let us take him down." That shut up the turian councillor and it was the the asari councillor who responded.

"We will suspend Saren's Spectre status and give Spectre Kryik discretion to deal with him how he sees fit but the Council will otherwise stay away from this affair. It's clear that this is a remnant of the war and we can't be seen to be taking sides." Shepard simply nodded at that.

"Thank you, councillors." She lead her team away at that, stopping once they were outside the Council Chambers to face a fuming Udina.

"Shepard-" He started but she shook her head, making a sound that Garrus thought sounded far too much like a growl for a human as her biotics danced lightly across her skin, barely visible.

"Not a word. It worked and, quite frankly, I don't have the time or patience for your bullshit today. Understood?" She asked, her tone remarkably calm despite the clear threat. _This_ was the Shepard that Garrus was all too familiar with and it helped him to push away the bloodstained memories that had been at the forefront of his mind since she had arrived on the Citadel.

Udina left in a huff and Shepard sighed a little before turning to the rest of her new team.

"Right, I'm going to ask Tali and Wrex to join us. I've got a feeling we can use them. I'll meet you all back at the Normandy at 1800." She told them, her gaze once again avoiding Garrus.

"Okay then," Nihlus replied before they all began to head off in separate directions. No one else noticed when she paused momentarily beside Garrus, still not looking at him or making any indication that she was deliberately acknowledging him.

"Thank you," She said, so quietly that he almost didn't hear, leaving him even more confused than he had been as she walked away, making no indication that she had ever said anything.

* * *

"Was I always too hard on Mom? I mean, I know I was when I was younger but was I still?" Tom was a little stunned by his sister's random question as they headed back to the Normandy, taking a few moments to answer her as she clasped her hands behind her back, something she often did when nervous to straighten her posture.

"You haven't called her 'Mom' since you were thirteen," He observed and she gave a little half-shrug.

"I got so mad about her holding me to such high expectations and I think that I was doing the same to her all along." Tom sighed at that.

"I know you _hate_ it when people point it out but you really _are_ like her. I once overheard her admitting to Dad that she didn't want us to turn out like them because of... Well, what's about to happen. I think she was scared that you would have to endure the same trials she did."

"Which, naturally, we are now. Shit. There's nothing like losing everything to remind you of every little mistake..." She trailed off and Tom nodded.

"Kira..." He started but he couldn't continue. He knew that she had shed all of the tears she was going to and would no longer stand for him sugarcoating the truth.

"Yeah," She replied tiredly as they boarded the Normandy. Tom was suddenly very aware of every eye on him as they entered and found it more than a little unnerving. He wondered if this was how Kira had felt on the Citadel.

"Hey, what happened to the VI? It didn't do that really annoying thing where it announces you as you come on board," Kira asked the pilot (_Joker,_ Tom recalled), leaning against the wall of the cockpit causing Tom to frown a little. On their own ship, Kira had always occupied the co-pilot's chair while Caius had lent against the wall.

"We couldn't reprogram it to not sound the intruder alarm when turians came onboard so we had to shut it down," Joker told them causing Kira to cock her head a little in question.

"Does that mean that Nihlus and Garrus are already here?"

"Since when are you on a first-name basis with the turian Spectres?" Kira shrugged at that.

"Future-girl, remember? This is Tom, by the way," She added and Joker frowned at her brother.

"Okay, I really can't tell turians apart. I thought he was Vakarian for a minute there," He commented before turning to Tom. "Isn't Tom a weird name for a turian?"

"My sister's a human. Let your imagination fill in the blanks." His tone was a little sharper than necessary and Kira raised an eyebrow.

"He's kind of touchy about his name," She explained before her brother sighed a little.

"I'm just sick of hearing about it," He admitted as the airlock opened once more as Shepard and Tali boarded. Kira couldn't help but roll her eyes as she watched her brother's eyes follow the quarian.

"Remember what we talked about," She warned and he frowned a little.

"I wasn't-"

"_Uh-huh_. But, seriously, that's just _too_ weird." Tom folded his arms at that.

"Okay, I think you need to stop thinking of this as the _past_. Right now it's the present and the future's in flux." He didn't miss the way Kira's eyes found the spot furthest away from him as she folded her arms.

"You make it sound like _our_ future's lost." He couldn't help but notice the way she struggled to keep her voice level.

"I don't know. We both know that you're better at this stuff than me. I just worry that you're only seeing what you want to see..." Before Kira could respond, Shepard was up at the galaxy map and had keyed herself into the comm system.

"Listen up, this is your CO. As you've probably heard, this ship has been volunteered to help with official Council business. That means we have a Spectre on board. It also means we now have three turians, a krogan and a quarian working with us and we're headed to pick up an asari. So, if anyone has any problem with that or is going to give me any xenophobic bullshit, I suggest you leave now because if I hear or see you giving any of our new team members a hard time in any way, I will _not_ hesitate to throw you out of an airlock. You have until 1900 to make your decision. Shepard out." Tom couldn't help but shake his head at that.

"Yeah. Too alike for your own good..." He muttered, earning him a glare from his sister before he turned to her, a serious look on his face. "Kira, don't let yourself get lost in the data. This problem is just as much about the people. Not just Shepard but _everyone_. You can't track the patterns if you don't see them." She frowned at that.

"How do you know so much about how I operate, all of a sudden?" Her tone was a little harsh and bitter, prompting a sigh that he had to bite back.

"I'm your brother," He said simply. She nodded reluctantly.

"I know and you're right; this problem _is_ about the people. And we're down our people person."

"Yeah... "

* * *

"I would suggest that you set yourselves up down here. If you have any problems, talk to Chief Williams. I'm sure she'll be happy to help you out." Nihlus would have to admit that he had been drifting in and out of Shepard's tour of the ship. There was definitely _something_ bugging him as they walked through the Normandy and it had taken him until they arrived in cargo bay to figure out what it was. Once he had, he instead directed his attention to the way neither Shepard nor Garrus would look at each other. He figured that he had to find a way to get them talking...

"The M35 Mako? These things are built to take a beating," He commented, knowing that Garrus knew more than a little about vehicles.

"Not enough," Shepard replied and Nihlus didn't miss the way she stiffened a little or the way Garrus' eyes snapped up to her.

"I can improve the armour. Give it a bit more durability," He said, marking the first words he had offered towards the human. Shepard looked more than a little startled as she lifted her gaze to meet his and their eyes locked as they had when she had first arrived on the Citadel but this time Nihlus couldn't detect any of the hostility that had previously been there.

"I would appreciate that," Shepard finally replied before turning to Tali. "Come on, I'll show you the engines." At that, she left and the krogan moved to the other end of the cargo bay.

"I don't want to talk about it," Garrus said before Nihlus could ask, stalking away from his friend who turned to the empty space beside him.

"Well, that was _interesting_. Don't you agree?" He asked, seemingly to no-one. The air next to him flickered before a human female appeared beside him with short, dark hair and bright blue eyes. He couldn't help but note that, much like Shepard, her figure had the rounded curves that most of the female human soldiers he had encountered seemed to lack, as she placed her hands on her hips.

"How did you know I was there?" She asked. He simply smirked at her as he folded his arms.

"You must be pretty cocky to think that you can sneak up on a Spectre."

"Well... Maybe."

"Does the cocky human have a name?"

"Kira."

"Nihlus. But I'm guessing that you already knew that." A look of understanding crossed Kira's features as she folded her own arms in response.

"_Ah_. This is about the recording, isn't it?" She asked and he shrugged.

"A little."

"I had to sell my story," She reasoned.

"Tom said I should have been there," He told her simply and she frowned at him, wondering what he knew.

"Tom should keep his goddamn mouth shut..." She muttered but his eyes flickered to her shoulder where Saren had shot her. She tried to shrug off the implication of his gaze but the movement wasn't as smooth as it should have been. Saren, the lucky bastard, had shot right into an old wound, meaning that it was taking longer than usual to heal. But she had survived so she wasn't going to complain. His gaze moved back up to meet hers and she was glad when he didn't mention her injury any further. She didn't really want to explain that he should have died.

"Well, anyway, I just wanted to meet the _fun_ time traveller." She raised an eyebrow at that.

"'Fun'? I guess that's one way to put it..." She trailed off as his gaze shifted back to behind the mako where Garrus had settled himself and Kira noted the concern in his sub-harmonics.

"So, do _you_ know what happened between Garrus and Shepard?" She shook her head.

"No. But I'm determined to find out."

"Count me in," He told her and she regarded him carefully, Tom's words about the problem involving people, not just data, in the forefront of her mind. She was still reluctant to get too involved, not wanting her actions to change things for the worse. She wasn't meant to be there. But then, neither was he.

"Okay then."

* * *

Shepard was reluctant to leave engineering once she had introduced Tali to Adams, not wanting to chance running into Vakarian. She almost froze as he walked into the room, only to realise after a few moments that it was Tom. She wondered if they actually looked alike or if she was just bad at telling turians apart. They definitely had the same markings but that just meant that their families were from the same colony. She stayed in the corner of the room, watching as he approached the young quarian.

"You done drooling yet?" He asked and Shepard figured that Tali was grinning beneath her mask as she turned to face him.

"Can you blame me? I mean, look at this thing!" She waved her arms towards the drive core, causing Tom's mandibles to flare out in what Shepard figured was a turian grin.

"Yeah, my own ship ran with a similar engine, just smaller since it was a smaller vessel. I always thought that it was _too_ powerful but I was outvoted." Tali folded her arms at that, leaning against the railings as she regarded Tom carefully.

"I'm still not convinced that you're from the future," She told him and he raised a browplate at her.

"So, what? You think I'm a conman?" He asked. The quarian simply shrugged at him.

"You do kind of have a charming rogue thing going on. You know, when you forget about that stick up your ass..." Shepard has to stop herself from laughing at that, not wanting to alert the two aliens to the fact that she had been listening into their conversation. She sighed internally as she steeled herself to leave engineering. She knew that she'd have to face Vakarian at some point but... For now she was happy to keep avoiding both him and the strange and unfamiliar feeling that bugged her when he spoke to her. It both reminded her of things she'd rather forget and made her feel, for some reason beyond her comprehension, _safer_ than she had in years...

And she couldn't decide if she liked it or not.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Even longer chapter! This might actually be the longest chapter I've ever uploaded for any fic ever...**

**I tried to cut down on reiterating any in-game dialogue, so hopefully it's not too bad. Also, it _is_ an AU so, while I've kept a lot of things the same, some things will be in a different order to in-game. ^^**

**Once again, I love all you guys for following and favouriting, especially 1054SS325MP and bronzedamazon311 for the reviews. You guys rock! ^^**

******Hope you enjoy! ^^**

* * *

**Chapter Seven - ****I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good**

"_Cai?" Kira asked as she awoke groggily, the all too familiar form of her friend the first thing she saw. He was sitting next to her bed, his deep purple markings the first sight her eyes registered as she shook off the effect of the sedatives._

"_Hey," He said softly. She frowned a little as she fought her way back into consciousness._

"_Tom?" He nodded._

"_He just stepped out for a few minutes. It's okay, we're both fine. You took the brunt of the attack." Her frown deepened at that as her gaze swept down to her injured arm, seeing that it was, apparently, not there. Instead there was some kind of metal structure that vaguely resembled the bones in the human arm. At that, she remembered everything. She'd fallen behind during the mission, unable to make it back. She'd told the other two to leave her behind and the next thing she remembered was waking up in the medical bay of the cruiser they were stationed on, being told that she had lost most of her left arm. They had mostly been keeping her sedated since then. Tom and Caius hadn't been allowed to see her and she had requested that her parents not make the trip out for her. She had a hard enough time convincing the turians that she was as tough as them without them calling her parents because she got a little injured._

"_I'm guessing they've finally decided that I'm fit for visitors?" She tried to keep the waver from her voice but she knew that she wasn't succeeding when he took a hold of her still-intact hand, somehow both calming her and making her nervous at the same time. She couldn't deny that whatever attraction she had to her brother's best friend, and her dance partner, had only increased tenfold since they had been put on the same squad after basic._

"_Yeah. They said you're making a surprisingly fast recovery. They may not have been able to save your arm but you're... 'genetically predisposed' to cybernetic implants, I think they said..."_

"_Cai, it's fine. I'm here and, apparently, almost whole. I'll be back on my feet in no time, bugging you about practicing your paso," She joked, trying to lighten the mood, although she meant every word. After a moment, her frown deepened as she realised what had happened. "Wait, you came back for me?" He ducked his head a little in a movement that she knew was the turian equivalent of a blush._

"_There's no way Tom would ever leave you." He reasoned, deepening her frown further._

"_No. Tom was too far ahead, there's no way he would have made it back in time. __**You**__ came back for me." He nodded, a little reluctantly._

"_I couldn't leave you behind." She awkwardly looked away at that._

"_But I told you to. It was too risky to come back." He shook his head at that._

"_I __**couldn't**__ leave you behind, Kira." She felt her breath escape from her lungs as his eyes met hers._

"_Why not?" She asked softly as he tightened his grip on her hand, almost imperceptibly, causing her face to flush a little._

"_Because I care about you. Maybe more than I should, given that you're my best friend's sister." She tried her best not to look sheepish and awkward at his confession, hoping that she wasn't reading more into it than she should._

"_I care about you too," She admitted, causing him to grin at her as he tentatively lowered his forehead to hers. She grinned back at him._

"_So, wanna... What do you humans call it? 'Go out' sometime?" Her grin widened even further._

_"I'd love that," She said before frowning a little. "So, you're not... Bothered by the fact that I'm human?"_

"_Kira, I don't think I'd be bothered if you were krogan. I have been crushing on you for the longest time," He admitted. She couldn't help but shrug a little in response._

"_I may have been crushing on you too..." She admitted back as Tom walked back into the room, clearing his throat._

"_I don't think I want to know..." He said, causing Kira to stick her tongue out at him before throwing one of her pillows at his head._

"_I'm going out with Caius and you're not allowed to be mean to him about it!" He held his hands up in surrender at her warning._

"_Fine, fine," He said before turning to his friend. "Seriously, though, it took until she has her arm blown off for you to ask her out?" He joked._

"_What did I just say? I can still beat you up with only one arm," Kira told him but he just rolled his eyes at her._

"_Okay, I'll leave you two to get back to... Whatever it was you were doing. I was just making sure you were okay after your first battle injury. Honestly, I thought it would have happened sooner," He reasoned. Kira glared at him._

"_Brutto figlio di puttana bastardo!" She yelled but he simply shrugged, used to her outbursts._

"_Okay, I get it, I'll come back later," He joked. She shook her head, her heart warming a little as she turned back, realising that her hand was still in Caius's._

* * *

Shepard still hadn't spoken to Garrus since their short, two line conversation just after they had left the Citadel three days ago, leaving Kira more than a little worried. She had tried to talk to Shepard but she was sure that she was ignoring her too. Not that Kira didn't have a plan, but it only confirmed in her mind what Tom had been telling her about the problem being about _people_. This problem was most definitely about Shepard, so Kira decided that it was probably time to correct some of the flaws in her knowledge of the soon-to-be saviour of the galaxy. And she figured that the best source of information would be the person who had known her the longest.

"Okay, so you've known Shepard a long time, right?" She asked Kaidan as she sat down opposite him in the mess hall.

"Ever since biotic training, yeah. Why?" Kira let herself wonder for a moment what human biotic training was like without help from the other species. She knew from Tom that it wasn't exactly pleasant, no matter how it was taught. But, then again, maybe that was just the turians.

"I'm just wondering what her reputation's like. Everyone on the ship seems loyal to her, even Williams, to the point of being willing to work with turians. But where I'm from, she's known as the ultimate good guy. Especially after the Blitz. I know that a lot of it was propaganda, I mean, if you actually speak to people who worked with Shepard, it's pretty obvious that her... _unique personality_ is consistent no matter which timeline you're in. I'm just wondering how it is here."

"'Unique personality'?" She shrugged.

"You know, how she hates lying and _always_ keeps her word but has a nasty temper when it comes to incompetence and intolerance. Plus, her unique ability to connect with _anyone_." _Almost anyone,_ her mind supplied but Kira kept her thoughts to herself. "Stuff like that..."

"Yeah. Shepard always insists that her biotics don't affect her emotions but... Well, I'm not complaining. Despite what you may think, it's what makes her a good leader."

"No, I know. But that doesn't mean that the Alliance doesn't like to keep quiet about it." Kaidan couldn't help but agree with that before frowning.

"So, what's the Blitz?" Kaidan asked, reminding Kira that some things were very different.

"The Skyllian Blitz. It was a response from the Batarians to rapid human expansion in the Verge but I guess the war meant that there was no such expansion in this timeline."

"Pretty much. So, she was a war hero?"

"Yeah, that's a pretty accurate description."

"Same here. I mean, you've heard about her exploits against Vakarian. Those are pretty much legendary, especially when they took out that base at Torfan, even if it did end up a bit of a bloodbath. After that, I think the most memorable thing in her file is probably Akuze."

"Akuze?" Kira remembered the name of the planet from some of the turian mission files she had been reviewing. Garrus had led a recon squad down to the planet a few years back but they hadn't found anything of note.

"Yeah. Shepard led a team on a recon mission after we got intel that the turians were there. They didn't find any turians but they ran straight into a thresher nest. Shepard lost her entire squad and no one's quite sure how she survived. She says she can't remember anything between getting attacked and the rescue team showing up two days later." Kira raised an eyebrow at that, trying to piece together what had happened.

She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice the room become tense as a turian entered.

"Hey," Nihlus said from behind her, deliberately catching her off-guard.

"Cazzo!" She yelled as she jumped. She couldn't help but notice that her left arm didn't tense with the rest of her body, causing her to sigh internally. She couldn't _really_ perform self-maintenance and no one in this time would be familiar enough with the technology for her to trust them. "Why would you think that sneaking up on me was a good idea?" She asked the smirking turian as he sat down next to her, ignoring the glares some of the humans were giving him.

"I was bored and wanted to see if I could," He reasoned, shrugging, as she fixed him with a glare.

"Your dedication to human/turian relations is truly awe-inspiring," She told him sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Seriously, could you try _not_ alienating the humans? My job is hard enough as it is."

"You want me to be less of a scary monster?" He joked.

"If you think you can manage it."

"You know, you're not as fun as I was led to believe."

"Yeah, well, suck it up." She didn't miss the way Kaidan was staring at her incredulously. "What?"

"Did you just swear in Italian?" Kira shrugged in response. She could see where this was going but she knew that it would be best to feign ignorance.

"Yeah. So?"

"Just that… You look like Shepard. And not just a little, either, but a lot." Yep, she could _definitely_ see where this was going…

"So…?"

"Well, it's not just that you look like her. You have her mannerisms, too." Kira sighed at that as she tried to figure out the quickest way to throw Kaidan off.

"Is there a point to this?" She asked tersely.

"Are you and Shepard related?" He asked. Kira kept her expression neutral, simply shrugging.

"Probably." Kaidan frowned at that.

"'Probably'?"

"Well, as you've probably guessed by my turian brother, I'm from quite far in the future. And, in my time, Shepard's kind of like Genghis Khan."

"Wait, Genghis Khan?" Kaidan asked, enthralled by Kira's bullshitting.

"Yeah. Half the galaxy is related to Shepard. She must've had a shit-ton of kids. It's actually a pretty popular topic of debate for historians." Halfway through her made-up story, Tom had entered the room. Once she had finished, he sighed at her, folding his arms.

"Kira, what was Cai's first rule of diplomacy?" He asked, tiredly.

"Don't troll the natives…"

"And what were you just doing?" She pouted a little at that.

"Trolling the natives. But, it's not my fault, he was asking for it! He thought I was related to Shepard. You can't expect me to _not_ run with that." Tom rolled his eyes as he sat next to his sister, noting the bewildered expression on the human opposite him.

"You're the worst…" Tom replied as Shepard entered the mess, wrapping a black ribbon around her tight bun to keep her thick red curls in place. The twins were careful to note how her eyes swept the room, lingering on anyone who was giving Tom and Nihlus funny looks.

"Kira, we'll be arriving at Therum shortly. I need you to suit up," She said as she approached the table but Kira shook her head in reply.

"No can do. My arm's still not great after Eden Prime." Shepard raised an eyebrow at that.

"That was two weeks ago. Surely your arm's better by now." Kira just shook her head.

"It is but I'm running behind on my maintenance. It's a little slow." Everyone but Tom gave her confused looks at that.

"You should get Tali to look at it. I'm sure it just needs calibrating. Actually, if that's the case, you probably want to go to-" Kira cut him off with a glare before shrugging, her left arm lagging behind.

"What am I missing now?" Shepard asked.

"About ten years ago I got badly injured on a mission. My left arm is now mostly cybernetic. At the minute there's a delay between my neurones and the sensors in the arm. It means that I can't go on missions until it's fixed." Kaidan couldn't help but grin at Shepard.

"Told you she was a cyborg." Shepard rolled her eyes before turning back to Kira.

"And you really can't manage a mission?"

"My reaction times are shot. I'd be no use to you." Shepard sighed at that, knowing that she needed a tech on the mission. Preferably a sniper.

"Fine. I'll take Tali." Kira frowned at that.

"You're taking Wrex as well, right? You need someone long-range. A sniper." Shepard folded her arms at that, knowing where the conversation was headed.

"Well, who else would you suggest?" She knew what the answer would be but she asked anyway.

"Take Vakarian." Shepard sighed. She knew that she'd have to face the turian occupying the lower decks sooner or later but… She still couldn't figure out what had happened between them.

"Alright. I'll go and tell him now," She told them before leaving. Kira kept her grin hidden until the CO had turned her back on them.

"Your arm's not really that bad, is it?" Nihlus asked. Kira just gave him a smug look.

"_Please_. As if a little lack of maintenance could stop me from going on a mission. I just needed to get Shepard and Vakarian to work together." At that, she prepared to activate her cloak but her brother stopped her.

"No. You're not following them. You may not be completely unable to function but we both know that it's only a matter of time. Go see Chakwas, I'm sure she'll be able to figure something out." His sister sighed at that, knowing that he was right.

"_Fine..._"

* * *

Shepard steeled herself against her nerves as the lift arrived on the lower decks, the cargo bay empty except for Garrus.

"Vakarian?" She asked, seemingly startling him as he snapped his gaze to her. She clasped her hands behind her back, straightening her posture as she kept her commanding presence in check.

"Need me for something, Shepard?" This wasn't the tone that she was used to, the one that threw insults and sarcastic comments at her when they fought. No, this was the _other_ side of him. The side that she had only seen twice. The thing that made him different from every other soldier she had fought against. The one that had made it impossible for her to…

"Kira's injured and I need a sniper on this next mission. You up for it?" He nodded at that.

"Of course."

"I need you to follow my lead on the ground, Vakarian. I don't care if we're supposed to be working together; having two team leaders will only confuse things."

"Understood, Shepard." She nodded in reply, knowing that she had to say something about the elephant in the room but not knowing how to approach it.

"So, we're good? No hard feelings about trying to kill each other?" He gave her a confused look. She knew that it was because of her skirting around the real issue, trying to turn the tension between them into something it wasn't.

"No. But I don't think there was ever any doubt about that." She bit back a groan of frustration. Of course, it would be just her luck that he would be the only person willing to confront her about anything. She was used to the people around her just doing as she said. No questions asked. Having a scary reputation was sometimes a blessing...

"No, there wasn't. I guess what I was really asking was if we could just ignore what happened. On Akuze and Torfan. Put it behind us. Because I meant what I said; we're even now." Garrus paused for a few moments before nodding in reply.

"If that's what you want, Shepard, then I'll try. But you're wrong. About us being even." She was just about to respond, to demand to know what the hell he meant by that, when he caught her by surprise once more.

"I still owe you."

She froze at the softness in his tone, her uncertainty finally showing through the mask of the fearless commander as he fixed her with his intense stare, her heart thundering as his bright blue eyes met her deep brown ones.

She was about to respond, to tell him that she would really rather that they just pretend that nothing had happened, when Wrex arrived, stopping their conversation short.

"Shepard?" She pulled herself back to the present, shaking her head before grinning at the Krogan, careful to show as many teeth as possible. If there was one thing she had a knack for, it was endearing people to her quickly. Although, she figured that she had done more than enough in Wrex's book to make her a friend when she first began to be a thorn in the turians' side.

"Kira's still injured and we need a sniper so we're gonna be taking Vakarian with us. Seeing if he can shoot something other than me." The krogan gave a chuckle at that, allowing Shepard to relax a little as she turned back to the turian sniper. He, too, was smiling so she smiled back, hoping that he took her request to just pretend that nothing had ever happened to heart. "Not that he could ever _actually_ hit me."

"Oh, I think I got you good a few times, Shepard." Her grin widened a little at his reply as she finally relaxed fully, hoping to fall into the regular banter of a good ground squad.

"But never a kill shot."

"Well, no," He replied, preparing his weapon as they climbed aboard the mako, getting ready to drop. "Where would the fun be in that?" She didn't reply immediately to that. Had that been her problem? She hadn't joined the Alliance out of a sense of loyalty or a hatred of turians. Once her biotics were discovered, she was given little choice and had been looking for a way out, anyway. She hadn't agreed with the war but, she had to admit, she loved the challenge of being pitted against a superior force. And Vakarian had offered her the greatest challenge she had ever faced. But, in the end, that was all it had boiled down to for them. A game. And when faced with the reality of what was happening...

"Hey, are you okay?" Garrus asked softly, pulling her from her thoughts. Part of her wished that he would just keep to his sarcastic banter and not this confusing... Whatever it was. She then realised that she had just frozen up in the mako. It wasn't difficult for her to see what he was thinking.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just as long as I'm the one behind the wheel," She told him, not missing the confused look Wrex was giving the two of them. She turned to the krogan, grinning, hoping that he wouldn't read anything into their conversation.

"Come on, boys. Let's go kill some geth!"

* * *

"So, do any of us 'natives' have the ability to fix up your arm?" Nihlus asked, jokingly, as he entered the medbay. Kira rolled her eyes at him as Chakwas continued on with her tests, ignoring them.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, earning her a shrug.

"I was just checking that you were okay." She narrowed her eyes at that.

"Why?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Kira raised her eyebrows at that before realising that she had spent quite a bit of time with Nihlus, trying to find out enough about Garrus to figure out how to get him and Shepard to work together. "This is what friends do when the other is hurt."

"Right. Sorry. I'm… Is it going to sound really pathetic if I tell you that I've only ever had two friends before?"

"It might if one of them is Tom."

"Well then, yeah. I am totally pathetic…"

"So, you've only ever had one friend other than your brother?" She shrugged at that, folding her arms a little defensively.

"I… I had a lot of close acquaintances but… Not friends. And Cai was originally Tom's friend." Nihlus gave her an incredulous look at that before shrugging.

"I guess I can see that. I mean, you don't exactly have the warmest personality."

"_Thanks_." He rolled his eyes at that as she glared at him.

"Although, you and Shepard seem to be getting on well." He didn't miss how she shifted uncomfortably at that.

"Yeah… This is all just so weird. Being in the past, I mean. It's… I guess I wasn't really expecting to make _any_ friends, never mind two…"

"Is that why you've been pushing Tali away when she tries to talk to you? You don't like how close she and your brother are getting?" Kira was a little startled by that question, although she was mostly surprised by how accurate his assessment was.

"It's… Tom hasn't exactly had a lot of friends, either. It's… Weird to see him making a friend. And a female one at that. I don't know if you've noticed but Tom has a bit of a reputation with the opposite sex."

"Yeah, it seems to contradict his personality a little…" Kira just shrugged at that.

"Neither of us would claim to be perfect. I may have screwed up my professional life to the point at which no respectable military organisation would touch me but my personal life is actually very boring. I've only ever been with one guy and my penchant for partying lasted all of two years. Tom, on the other hand, was the perfect son in order to compensate for me and, as soon as we went into military service, he became the perfect soldier. But that was also around the time I got my act together and started dating the guy that I eventually bonded with so Tom started to let loose a little. I don't think he has ever been with the same girl for longer than twelve hours. It's all just swings and roundabouts." Nihlus nodded at that before frowning.

"You said 'bonded'." She frowned at that.

"What?"

"You said 'bonded', not… I think the human term is 'married'." His eyes flickered to her neck, noting she always wore the high-necked tops that the asari favoured. Although it struck him at that point that she, much like Tom, probably hadn't any clothes with her, other than those she had arrived in, and would have had to buy new ones when on the Citadel, making her choice not unusual, but if she had a bondmark, it would hide it. Before Tom had divulged that Kira was human, he had assumed that all three of them had been turian. He hadn't really put much thought into the third member of their squad since then, despite how every conversation with Kira would somehow make its way to him before stopping abruptly.

Kira seemed to sigh a little, giving a quick glance to the doctor who still seemed to be ignoring them, before moving her hand to her neck, pulling the fabric down so that he could clearly see the turian bondmark scarring her skin. He supposed that he shouldn't be surprised, given that her brother was turian, but it left him with a new idea of who they might be.

"Ouch. They look a little worse on human skin." Kira shrugged at that.

"I guess. I heal quite quickly, though."

"So, do they look worse on your mother?"

"No, she heals even faster than I do." Kira's eyes widened a little after she had finished speaking, showing Nihlus that she hadn't meant to say as much as she had. Specifically, that her mother was human while her father was turian. But, before he could ask anything else, Chakwas approached, fixing him with a look that clearly told him who was in charge within the medbay's bulkheads.

"I'm afraid, Nihlus, that I need to speak with Kira in private. Would you mind giving us a few minutes?"

"Of course." He left the room at that, leaving Kira with the doctor who was giving her a strange look. Kira sighed visibly, leaning back a little onto her arms.

"So, what do you know?" She cut straight to the point. The doctor folded her arms at that.

"Not enough to draw any conclusions. It's quite difficult to get your genetic sequence, given the amount of nanotechnology in your system."

"Funny thing about finding out that you respond well to cybernetic enhancements is that they quickly decide that it would be a good idea to implant you with more." The Hierarchy hadn't been keen on 'wasting' the credits on her but the Council hadn't seen it that way.

"But I got enough to know that most of the medical supplies I keep for Shepard should be fine for you." Kira narrowed her eyes a little at that.

"Whatever you think you know, I suggest you keep it between us." She was careful to keep her tone one of warning but the doctor simply nodded dismissively.

"Of course. But I would suggest that you don't keep the Commander out of the loop for too long. She hates being lied to."

"Oh, trust me, I know..."

* * *

Garrus had never seen a krogan scared by anything but to say that Wrex was unsettled by Shepard's driving would be an understatement. She seemed to just bomb her way through the geth, as if trying to get to the ruins as fast as possible. But Garrus couldn't blame her. He had only witnessed the destruction that she had lived through and he was eager to spend as little time in the vehicle as possible.

"I hope you've been keeping track of your kills, Vakarian. I want to settle once and for all who's the better soldier and, once we get close range, I'm going to destroy you."

"Keep dreamin', Shepard." She grinned at him and he couldn't help but grin back, a little surprised by how she was treating him as if he was anyone else. He wondered if she really _could_ just put what had happened behind her. Could she really just pretend that it had been nothing? It made him wonder if it really had meant so little to her. But he didn't really believe that. He knew that it had to be bothering her just as much as it had been bothering him, she was simply putting all of her effort into not letting it show.

He was quickly pulled out of his thoughts as they approached the ruins. Shepard gave him a sidelong glance as her biotics flared. He nodded to her as his visor indicated movement, getting into position. It was strange, like a mirror image of their old routine. Instead of fighting each other, they were at each other's backs.

The geth quickly overwhelmed them but Shepard couldn't help but delight in how quickly the three of them managed to turn the odds in their favour. She couldn't help but realise that she and Garrus made a good team. His sniping perfectly balancing her biotics as they made their way into the mine.

"Keep your eyes open," Shepard told the other two as they made their way into the lift to the lower levels. "All we know about this Dr T'Soni is that her mother's working for Saren. I don't want to make any pre-judgements but we can't be sure why the geth are here." Garrus nodded in acknowledgement before he headed off to scout the area. As soon as Shepard had turned her back to scout in the opposite direction, Wrex walked up to him.

_Shit_, was all Garrus could think as the krogan subtly aimed his shotgun at him. Well, as subtle as any krogan could possibly be.

"So, you two seem to know each other," Wrex commented. Garrus tried to shrug in a nonchalant manner, hoping to evade the krogan's questions. He hadn't the faintest idea why Shepard had done what she had done but he was sure that she wouldn't want anyone to know.

"We've met on the battlefield once or twice." _Technically true_.

"Don't treat me like a fool, turian." The threat was clear, leaving Garrus with just one option as he sighed, trying to seem as if the shotgun in his face wasn't phasing him.

"Why don't you ask Shepard? I thought you two were friends." Wrex dropped his shotgun at that.

"I would if I thought she'd answer me..." The krogan grumbled, making Garrus wonder if Wrex was actually _concerned_ for Shepard, although nothing would surprise him at this point.

"_Guys!_ I think I found something!" Shepard yelled through to them. Garrus and Wrex approached her position, only to see a young asari trapped behind a forcefield. She seemed to relax a little at the sight of Garrus, making Shepard wonder if her fear was as much to do with the arrival of a human as it was to do with being trapped. Shepard decided the best course of action would be to lower her gun and look as unassuming as possible. Possibly, also, despite her hatred of the idea, let Garrus do the talking.

"Can you hear me out there! I am trapped. I need help!"

"Are you okay? What happened to you?" Shepard asked but the asari didn't seem to acknowledge her, still looking at Garrus. "Fine, Vakarian, can you calm her down? Wrex and I will start looking for a way to get her out."

"Yes, Commander." Shepard gave him a thankful smile as he deferred to her in front of the asari. The trapped woman finally looked at Shepard, shock in her eyes.

"Wait, you're working together?" Shepard frowned a little at that.

"Yeah, the war's over." She was careful to keep her tone as reassuring as possible as the asari finally seemed to be listening to her. Shepard couldn't help but wonder how young she was. SHe certainly seemed younger than Kira, at any rate.

"It is?" Shepard frowned at that.

"How long have you been down here?" The asari looked about as sheepish as her current predicament would allow.

"A while... Although, being trapped is new."

"How did you get trapped?"

"This thing is a Prothean security device. I cannot move so I need you to get me out of it. Alright?"

"Okay then," Shepard told her but Wrex shook his head as they moved off to find a way past the barrier.

"Her mother's working with Saren and this place is crawling with geth. How do we know we can trust her?" To Shepard's surprise, it was Garrus who answered him.

"If she was working with them, then why is she trapped? She either put herself in there to hide or they did it to her. Neither of those situations screams _ally_." Shepard nodded in agreement.

"My thinking exactly," Shepard told them as she walked up to a control panel, grinning a little. "Oh, this should work nicely."

"You can't be serious," Garrus replied, following her train of thought, as Wrex just gave them both a confused look.

"Think you can hack it?" She asked him but he simply gave her what she figured was the turian equivalent of a raised eyebrow.

"Of course. It's still insane."

"You'd better get used to it, Vakarian." At that, he began hacking the drill as Wrex and Shepard watched his back. Shepard was pleasantly when the drill burst to life faster than she had anticipated. She found herself wondering if Garrus would keep on surprising her or if she'd ever finally figure him out.

"Come on," She told the other two as the drill finally shut off, having cut a way through to the controls.

"How? How did you get in here? I didn't think there was any way past the barrier curtain," The asari asked as they approached the controls.

"It... You know what? You're probably best off not knowing," Shepard told her, giving her a reassuring smile and wink before moving to deactivate the forcefield around her.

"So, escape plan?" Garrus asked. Shepard just shrugged.

"Guns. Lots of guns." He laughed a little at that as Liara walked over to them.

"There is an elevator back at the centre of the tower. At least, I think it's an elevator. It should take us out of here. Come on!"

"Sounds good to me," Shepard said before following the asari to the centre of the tower.

"I still cannot believe all of this. The war is really over? And there are geth?! And what does Benezia have to do with anything?" Liara told them once they activated the elevator.

"The war ended almost four months ago. Benezia is working with Saren, a Spectre who has gone rogue. They're looking for a Prothean artifact called the Conduit. Since you're a Prothean expert, they probably want you to help them," Garrus summarised.

"The Conduit? But I don't kn-" She was cut off by the sound of the building shaking around them.

"What was that?" Wrex asked, instinctively readying his shotgun.

"These ruins aren't stable. You must have somehow triggered a seismic event. We have to hurry. The whole place is caving in!"

"Joker, get the Normandy airbourne and get a lock on my signal. We're gonna need one hell of a quick evac."

"Aye, aye, Commander. Secure and aweigh. ETA eight minutes."

"EIght minutes isn't gonna cut it, Shepard," Garrus supplied before Wrex grumbled next to them.

"If I die in here, I'll kill him."

"Okay, everybody chill the fuck out. Joker's got this." Shepard couldn't help but hope that her words were true as the elevator reached the top, only to reveal a huge krogan flanked by several geth.

"Surrender. Or don't. That would be more fun." Shepard simply groaned as she unleashed her biotics.

"I don't have time for this shit. In case you didn't notice, this place is falling apart," She told the krogan but he merely shrugged.

"Exhilarating, isn't it?" Shepard rolled her eyes, firing her shotgun before he had time to continue. It was clear that he wouldn't see sense and time was running out quickly.

"Vakarian, Wrex, keep those damn geth off me." At that he charged towards the krogan, unloading her shotgun as quickly as she could.

The fight didn't take very long, but it was long enough. By the time they had finished off all of the enemies, the mine was quickly collapsing on them. Shepard brought up the rear, making sure that no one else fell behind, but, just as Liara made it to the exit, she saw that she was too late as a huge piece of rubble fell towards her. She moved her arms to bring up her biotics but it was too late as she found herself knocked to the floor. However, she found that she had been knocked from the rubble that had been heading for her, the enormous boulder instead hitting Garrus, who had, evidently, pushed her out of the way. He seemed okay at first but then barely managed to scramble out of the wreckage behind her before falling unconscious as she scrambled for her medi-gel.

* * *

The ride back to the Normandy was tense as Wrex and Liara watched Shepard closely. For some reason, beyond their comprehension, she refused to leave the turian's side, occasionally muttering in a language that both of their translators couldn't understand. Wrex couldn't figure out if his friend was praying for or cursing the turian, but it was putting him on edge. He'd met Shepard three times, twice before Akuze, but he'd definitely never seen her act the way she did around Vakarian. He knew that _something_ had happened, half the ship knew that, but the fact that she wouldn't tell _anyone_, not even the other human woman, who Wrex had figured was Shepard's sister by her scent. He was curious about that but he knew that the rest of the crew were shunning him as much as the turians. The quarian was about the only one making any friends and he wondered if the asari would be the same.

Once they got back to the Normandy, Garrus was taken straight to the medbay, Shepard still refusing to leave his side. Kira, who was still there, was the one to ask about Shepard's strange behaviour after Chakwas had given her a look. She had a feeling that she was going to regret having to get medical treatment from the woman.

"Hey, Shepard?" She asked, carefully noting how the commander's biotics were shifting almost imperceptibly over her skin.

"Yeah, I know." Shepard's gaze snapped up. Kira couldn't deny that the way Shepard seemed so obviously concerned about Garrus gave her more than a little hope. For all she told Tom, she couldn't deny that it would simply be _too_ weird if things ended up differently.

"He'll be okay. But, for now, you need to talk to Liara." Shepard was a little startled by the understanding in Kira's voice, especially since she couldn't figure out what she was feeling herself.

"Okay, then. Keep an eye on him." Kira nodded, allowing Sophia a little relief as she left the room. She didn't know what it was about that damn turian but, for whatever reason, she knew that she didn't want to see him hurt.

* * *

"Too close, Commander. Ten more seconds and we would've been swimming in molten sulphur," Joker's voice told her over the intercom as she sat down in the briefing room.

"I know, Joker," She replied, tiredly. She didn't miss the concerned look Kaidan gave her but she simply shook her head in response, not wanting to deal with his questions.

"Thank you, Commander. If you hadn't arrived..." Liara started but Shepard shook her head, giving the asari a warm smile.

"It's okay, Liara." She hated thank yous. They didn't feel right. She supposed that she was too used to people treating her like scum. Apparently, some habits you never grow out of.

"What did Saren want with you? Do you know something about the conduit?" Kaidan asked.

"Only that it was somehow connected to the Prothean extinction-" Shepard cut her off at that point. Despite how unprofessional it was, she desperately wanted to get back to the medbay and talk to Garrus when he woke up. What had happened to letting things stay in the past? Or was he just stupidly heroic like that? She didn't need squad members risking their own lives for hers.

"I may have some more information for you there. There was a damaged Prothean beacon on Eden Prime. It burned a vision into my brain. I'm still trying to sort out what it all means."

"Visions? Yes, that make sense. The beacons were designed to transmit data directly into the mind of the user. Finding one that still works in extremely rare."

"Well, this one might have worked but I can barely make sense of it," Shepard told her and Liara frowned a little.

"I... I may be able to help there, Commander. But it would require..." She trailed off, causing Shepard to raise an eyebrow.

"What would it require?"

"I know a lot about the Protheans and could perhaps make better sense of the vision but I would need to join my mind with yours..." She seemed a little awkward and sheepish at the idea, causing Shepard to sigh.

It was obvious to everyone that Shepard was reluctant to meld with the asari but, after a few moments, she nodded, surprising Liara a little. She had yet to meet a human, having been cooped up in the ruins since before the end of the war, and she had fully expected them to shun all alien contact in light of what had happened with the turians. So, Shepard's attitude had been more than a little surprising. Especially her willingness to meld, although Liara had to admit that she was a little worried. She wasn't exactly practiced at it and she suspected that Shepard's strong personality would cause her more than a little trouble.

She moved towards the commander cautiously, wondering if she was nervous under her mask of calm.

"Embrace eternity."

The asari had fully expected to struggle against Shepard's will in the search for the visions from the Prothean beacon. What she hadn't expected, was to be drawn into the memories that had been at the forefront of the human's mind since she had been told that she would have to work with Vakarian...

_Shepard coughed as she awoke, her throat slick with the metalic taste of blood. Her armour was beeping at her through her omni-tool, alerting her to the fact that she had used up all of her medi-gel._

_**Fan-fucking-tastic,**__ she thought as she coughed once more, knowing that she was well and truly fucked. Her gaze swept the surrounding area, confirming what she already knew. The mako lay in flames, surrounded by the corpses of her team, mutilated by the Tresher acid to the point that they were almost beyond recognition. No help would be coming anytime soon, that much was for certain. They were almost a day away and she wasn't supposed to return for another twenty four hours. She suspected that she wouldn't last that long._

_She had, by some stroke of luck, been flung out of the Thresher nest but she figured that the impact had broken several bones, although she couldn't be certain. All she knew for sure was that she was bleeding heavily. Too heavily. In all honesty, she wasn't even sure how she was still conscious. She was __**determined **__to survive but she had seen enough to know that that wasn't always enough. She could feel her strength failing as she fought to remain awake. She briefly wondered if she should be thankful for this short moment of consciousness before the end and if her parents were waiting for her..._

"_Wha- __**Shepard**__?!" She relaxed a little at the familiar voice before falling into the black, a flash of blue the last thing she saw._

_When she finally awoke, she was surprised to find that most of her wounds were closed, the bleeding stopped. It looked like the work of more medi-gel, although she had been __**sure**__ that she hadn't had any more. The memories of the aftermath of the crash trickled slowly back into her mind, all culminating in that familiar voice, presumably whoever had saved her. She hadn't recognised the voice at the time but now, her mind no longer clouded by the loss of blood, the final memories were all too clear._

_**Vakarian**__. He had been the one to save her. She didn't know how or why but as she looked down at her wounds, she could see the bright blue of dextro medi-gel as opposed to the almost purple colour of the levo version, confirming that it hadn't just been a strange hallucination. She was as confused as anything but she quickly came to the strangest conclusion of her life as she the rescue team arrived, having been what had awoken her in the first place._

_She would have done the same for him..._

Liara eventually managed to pull herself from the strange memory, only to be pulled into an even stronger one.

_Shepard didn't know how she had gotten here. __**No**__, she knew __**exactly**__ how. She'd been ordered here. It made her wonder if her superiors were trying to test her loyalty, seeing if she would lead a team on a raid of the turian base on Torfan. Everyone knew that it was going to be a bloodbath but she had had no choice but to accept the mission and watch as her new, trigger-happy squad butchered their enemy. They knew that she wasn't a fan of the war; she hadn't exactly been anything but vocal on the subject. Especially since what had happened on… Well, when her enemy had shown a hell of a lot more compassion than any of her allies (not that she had __**told**__ anyone about that). Her new squad in particular seemed more __**ruthless**__ than any other she had worked with. It made her miss those who had fallen on Akuze all the more._

"_Shepard, looks like one of these fuckers is actually alive down here." She groaned at the sound of the voice over her comm. __**Cameron**__. She could barely stand that arsehole. He seemed to take a little __**too **__much pleasure in the kill, leaving her to wonder what he was going to do to this poor, unfortunate bastard he had found. They all knew that there was no such thing as a turian civilian but she hoped that whoever it was was still in active service, at least._

'_Be careful what you wish for' had never seemed more appropriate than at the moment when she rounded the corner, only to see an all too familiar turian, unconscious and bleeding heavily. Fate had a funny sense of humour, she figured as she found their positions reversed almost exactly. Except for the fact that her squad __**knew**__ that he was here._

_She couldn't bring herself to do anything but remain silent, frozen in place as Cameron kicked Vakarian awake._

"_Come on, Skully. We've got some questions for you." Vakarian sat up at that, clearly too weak to try to escape. Although, had Shepard been in his position, she might have tried it anyway to escape whatever horror her captors had planned for her, be it through actual escape or death. Of course, Vakarian had no way to know just how sadistic this particular captor could be. She somehow managed to find her voice again._

"_Does anyone else know he's here?"_

"_No. I thought I'd have some fun without the Alliance breathing down my neck." Shepard's blood chilled at that. She very much __**didn't**__ want to know what Cameron's idea of 'fun' entailed and she suspected that Vakarian didn't, either. Luckily, he didn't seem to know who the turian was yet. "So, Skully, want to tell us about your base here?"_

"_Commander Garrus Vakarian, serial number-" Shepard suppressed a groan at that. Of course the protocols for captured soldiers would be the same. She didn't miss the way Cameron turned to her with wide eyes._

"_Why didn't you tell me we had Vakarian here?" Shepard hated lying but, for once, she wished that her ability to do so wasn't so poor._

"_I didn't recognise him under all that blood." He wasn't buying it, that much she could tell for certain._

"_Well, I guess you won't mind if I give him some incentive to answer us." She tried her best to keep her features impassive as Cameron pulled a knife from his belt, approaching Vakarian. It wasn't anything she hadn't seen before, whether it was to unresponsive turians or members of other gangs when she had been younger, but she had always hated it. Although this time was different. When Cameron dug his knife into the wounded turian, ripping a roar from his throat as his piercing, ice blue eyes locked with hers, something inside of her snapped._

_Before she realised what she was doing, she had unleashed a round of biotic energy at Cameron, knocking him out cold._

"_She-Shepard, what are you doing?" The turian asked as she dropped to her knees next to him, pulling out her medi-gel._

"_Repaying a debt." The look of surprise on his features told her that he hadn't expected her to remember what had happened on Akuze. "You didn't think I would actually let that asshole torture you, did you Vakarian?"_

"_It's Garrus," He told her as she started to apply her medi-gel to his wounds. "I hate it when people call me Vakarian… And, I wasn't sure. I had hoped but… Well, we are enemies after all. This is the kind of shit that happens in war, Shepard. You do have to kill the enemy." She nodded at that, sighing a little._

"_Yeah. Doesn't mean I have to like it, though… And, it's Sophia. If I'm gonna call you Garrus then you can't call me Shepard."_

"_Okay then, Sophia." She quickly finished applying medi-gel to his wounds before meeting his gaze, wondering what the hell it was about him that would push her to… Treason. There was no point in denying it. She had injured a squadmate and was now going to help an enemy escape. It was pretty obvious that they both knew that this was a little above and beyond how he had helped her._

"_Can you walk?" He nodded as she pulled him to his feet._

"_If anyone asks, you knocked out Cameron and took his medi-gel before escaping. You didn't even see me, okay?" He nodded._

"_Okay, She- Sophia, but what about you? Won't he tell people when he wakes up?" She shrugged at that._

"_Well, yeah, but who'd believe him? I barely believe that I'm doing this, never mind anyone else." She gave him a weak smile as his fierce gaze met hers once more._

"_**Thank you**__," He told her. She nodded in response._

"_No problem." He began to leave when she called out to him once more. "And Garrus? We're even now."_

Liara finally managed to pull herself from the memory, utterly confused by what she was seeing. Shepard and Vakarian had become legends through their exploits against each other but here was evidence that they had never really hated each other. They had ended up becoming symbols of something they had never truly believed in.

That was when she was finally pulled into Shepard's visions from the beacons, almost erasing the strange memories from her mind as she was exposed to the suffering of billions of Protheans across the galaxy.

* * *

"Hey, doc. I think he's awake." Garrus opened his eyes to find himself in the medbay of the Normandy, opposite a human woman with short, dark hair who he recognised as Tom's sister, Kira. For some reason she reminded him of Shepard, perhaps more like she had been before Akuze. Although, it was her eyes that confused him the most. He was _sure_ that human eyes didn't go that shade of blue. It was too light. "You okay, or are you still concussed?"

"I'm fine, I think." She smiled before looking towards the door.

"Shepard should be done soon. I honestly didn't think we'd be able to get her to leave her bedside." Garrus couldn't help but frown a little at Kira's relaxed attitude. Nihlus had told him that she was as friendly as Shepard when it came to turians but, just like Shepard, she seemed to almost be avoiding him. "What's the frown about?" He simply shrugged in reply.

"Nothing, I just don't think we've had the chance to talk before."

"Ah. Well, yeah. If you guys think time travel is weird for you, it's doubly so for Tom and I..." He frowned at her evasive answer but didn't question her. He suspected that, much like Tom, she simply wouldn't answer. "And... That looks like Shepard. Good luck." At that, she cloaked. Garrus assumed that she left, slipping past Shepard as she entered as the human commander paused for a moment before rolling her eyes at the space next to her as she entered the medbay.

"Doc, can you give us a moment?" Chakwas nodded in response, leaving the room as Shepard stood at the end of his bed, glaring at him as she placed her hands on her hips. "What the hell happened to ignoring what happened? I don't need you pulling any damn heroics on missions, Garrus."

"And I don't want you getting yourself killed, Sophia," He retorted and she was caught a little off-guard by him using her first name, although, despite her anger, she decided that she, bizarrely, actually didn't mind.

"So, is that what happened on Akuze? You didn't want to see me dead?" He was a little surprised by her change of topics but he refused to lower his gaze as she folded her arms, looking at him expectantly.

"I don't know. But what about Torfan? That was a hell of alot more than just repaying a debt and we both know it."

"I don't know, either. I mean, I _really_ don't know..."

"Yeah. Kind of a bitch, isn't it? Not knowing, I mean." She gave him a weak smile as she nodded in agreement.

"Did you ever think you made a mistake? On Akuze?" He sighed a little at that.

"Yeah... No. Maybe. I... I knew that others would see it as a mistake but I didn't. I guess I did for a second on Torfan, before you..." She nodded at that.

"Same. I just... We really _are_ even now. No more repaying debts. I like working with you, Garrus," She admitted. He was surprised by his sudden want to reach for her hand that was now resting on the side of the bed next to him. He shook it off, figuring it was a side-effect of the concussion that Kira had mentioned and not an extension of the way he had felt strangely pleased when Kira had told him that Shepard hadn't left his side when he had been injured. "So, if you stop with the damn heroics then I think that we can show everyone just how well humans and turians can work together."

"It's a deal."

* * *

When Shepard left the medbay, she found herself confronted by Kaidan. It seemed to be his new favourite ambushing spot.

_Okay, that's not fair. He's your friend, remember?_ She thought to herself as she smiled at him.

"So, what happened down there? I was worried." He moved closer at that, leaving Shepard with two options. Usually she would step away from him but... She knew that Kadian had feelings for her, she'd have to be blind not to see that. She'd been working on keeping him at an arm's length, not wanting to really start anything with him, but... He was a good guy and he cared about her. As the other women on the ship were fond of telling her, he was Prince Charming. But she'd never wanted that. She wanted an equal and, maybe somewhere deep _deep_ down, she wanted a little of that crazy, all-consuming love that left you breathless. Kaidan was definitely _not_ that but maybe it was time for her to accept that it was simply the last childish fallacy that she had yet to let go of.

So, she didn't move away from him.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Slightly shorter chapter but still damn long. Sorry about the long update wait, January exams + glandular fever = No time to write but a greater need for it. This is like my stress relief thing that helps to keep me sane.**

**Sometimes even I get bored of calculating rates of reactions...**

**I haven't really gone into detail about the Noveria mission because it plays out pretty much the same as in-game.**

**I made a continuity correction on 26/01 with regards to timing.**

**Once more, I'd like to thank you all for reading, following and favouriting with special thanks to bronzedamazon, 1054SS325MP and Eljay101 for taking the time to review. Virtual hugs all round! ^^**

**Hope you enjoy! ^^**

* * *

**Chapter Eight - Hasta La Vista, Baby**

"_This isn't fair and you know it! I don't understand, you spent so long fighting for equality and yet you're letting them discriminate against me because I'm human," Kira argued, causing her mother to sigh as she quickly lost her temper with the fiery fifteen year old._

"_Kira, this isn't about that and you know it," She countered, trying to keep her voice calm. "Quite frankly, I don't think you've done anything to show that you're responsible enough to leave home, let alone handle a gun on live missions."_

"_We both know that my __**ability**__ on the battlefield isn't in question here," Kira hissed before storming out, leaving Tom wondering if he should stay and keep listening or if he should chase after her._

"_Dammit," His mother muttered as his dad wrapped his arms around her, sighing._

"_We both knew that she'd want to go," He said._

_His bondmate gave him a weak smile at that. "She's too much like you, you know? She's headstrong and stubborn and she attracts trouble like nothing I've ever seen."_

_Her husband laughed a little at that. "So, nothing like you at all then?" He asked sarcastically, causing her to roll her eyes at him. "Soph, we both left to join the military at around their age. We were both fine-"_

"_No, we __**weren't**__. I worry that you're right. I'm worried that she is __**just**__ like me. Yes, we're fine now but it was hell for a long time and I don't want either of them to go through that. But it's almost as if Kira goes __**looking**__ for trouble..."_

_He pulled her closer at that, running his talons through her long hair. "I think that it'd do her good to have to deal with the reality of it. It might make her less keen to look for trouble. Plus, I don't think we can separate them."_

"_When did you get so smart?"_

_Tom decided that it was time for him to leave and try to find his sister. It didn't take him long and he found her at the shooting range with her sniper rifle, their dad's old one that she had heavily modded so that it was nearly unrecognisable._

"_Hey," He said, sitting next to her as his sister sat back, putting down the rifle as she ran her hand through her short, dark hair._

"_Hey."_

_He could clearly see that she was fighting against tears. "Kira, it'll be okay. Even if they won't let you join up with me, you'll be able to join the Alliance once you're eighteen."_

_She shook her head at that. "But we won't be working together."_

"_I know. But we'll still see each other all the time."_

_She simply sighed. "You and Cai are my only friends," She admitted, ruefully._

"'_Cai'?" He asked, the implication clear in his voice, prompting her to hit him lightly._

"_It's not like that," She muttered but he gave her a disbelieving look, which she ignored. "It's just... I can't be stuck here on my own with __**her**__ for years."_

"_Kira, stop it. She's our Mom."_

_Kira just snorted at that. "She doesn't talk to me unless she's yelling at me. It's like she can't stand me. I've tried... I mean, I __**know**__ that I messed up but... I tried to make things right but she just couldn't trust me again and I couldn't fix it."_

_Tom sighed. "Kira, it's not something you can fix overnight," He told her but she shook her head._

"_I don't think it can be fixed. She's already decided that I'm damaged..." She muttered._

"_She just thinks that you're not-"_

"'_Living up to my potential', I know. Save me the speech, Sparkles. Just... No one should have this expectation placed on them."_

"_Try having a genius for a sister," He countered, jokingly._

"_Try having a perfect, hardworking and all-round good guy biotic for a brother."_

* * *

"Okay, you are definitely just hiding in here."

Liara turned to find Shepard leaning against the doorframe, her arms folded and her usual black ribbon tying her long, red hair into a loose ponytail. She was smiling kindly, putting the asari immediately at ease. Liara had often wondered since joining the crew of the Normandy how Shepard was probably the deadliest member of the crew and, yet, also the easiest to talk to and get along with. It was no wonder that the humans had managed to evade destruction at the hands of the turians for so long if they were all so adaptable.

"I'm not hiding. It's just... I, erm..." She stammered a little, causing Shepard to raise her eyebrow before understanding dawned across her features.

"_Ah_. Okay, come with me." She gently pulled the asari up by the arm before leading her out of the room.

"Shepard! What are yo-"

"Tali is sitting out there looking more than a little lost and awkward. I actually think she's looking for Tom but I'm getting sick of the crew being so segregated. If we're going to work together, we have to trust each other. Which starts with actually _talking_ to each other."

"Wait, Tali? The quarian?"

Shepard whirled around at that, fixing the asari with a scrutinising glare. "I know that tone. What do you have against quarians?"

Liara was a startled by that, having not meant anything by her comment. "No-Nothing! Just... It's nothing. Really. I've just never really worked with one before..."

Shepard sighed, folding her arms as she gave the asari a sympathetic look, with just a hint of both warning and disappointment. "Liara, you are too damn smart to buy into racial stereotypes. Tali is one of the sweetest kids I've ever met."

Liara sighed, folding her own arms as her gaze dropped to the floor, looking slightly ashamed. "I know that, Shepard, but... I don't think you can grasp how this war has changed the galaxy. How could you? You have no idea what it was like before. I'm not going to pretend that everything was perfect. There have always been cracks, especially with species outside the Council but... If we couldn't trust another Council race, who could we? It was slow at first but eventually everyone became paranoid of other species, shutting themselves off. I think the only places you'll find multiple species living together without prejudice are the places where they simply can't afford to. I'll admit, I've been away on dig sites for most of the war so I have a better perspective of the change. As I said, it was slow. Most didn't even notice it was happening until it was too late but I only saw civilisation maybe every six months and the changes were more than a little alarming..."

"Then we just have to show them that things don't have to be like that." The determination was clear in Shepard's features, a light lit behind her dark eyes that more than convinced the asari she was capable of anything she set out to do, although this particular task seemed even more monolithic to her than taking down Saren, causing her to give Shepard an apologetic look.

"I'd like nothing more but I doubt even you could pull it off."

Shepard shook her head a little. "'Even me', huh? Nothing I've ever done has been a solo effort, Liara. So, let's go and show them how things can be if we all work together." Her enthusiasm was infectious and Liara couldn't help but smile in response as they moved through to the mess hall where Tali was, indeed, looking sheepish.

"Hey, Tali. What's up?"

The quarian immediately spun to look upwards, causing Shepard to bite her lip in order to hold back a kind-hearted smile.

"Ah, sorry. It's a human phrase. It means 'how are you'."

"Right. Sorry."

"It's not your fault. I guess one of the biggest problems with this damn war is we're all now working on first-gen translator software," Shepard said before spotting Ashley and waving her over. Shepard knew that Ashley had only stayed aboard the Normandy because she had been struggling to get other assignments, despite the Alliance's need for extra soldiers. The other woman's tactic for surviving on board the Normandy seemed to be to simply avoid any and all contact with the aliens, which Shepard was determined to change. "Hey, Ash. How are things?"

"Fine, Skipper." The tension was clear in her stance but Shepard wouldn't let her off so easily.

"We were just talking about the translator software. You haven't encountered any problems, have you?"

"No, ma'am."

Shepard had to stop herself from flinching from that. Her rank had always been a sore spot with her. She didn't know what exactly bothered her about it, but she hated people acting towards her with deference.

"Mine's fine except for Tom and Kira," Tali supplied, clearly more than a little uncomfortable, making Shepard suspect that she was forcing herself to speak up.

Shepard frowned a little. "Tom and Kira? If Tom speaks Turian then surely he shouldn't cause any trouble."

"No, they're _both_ good about speaking Turian Common around me, actually. But sometimes Kira starts talking to him in another language that I can't translate. Tom always quickly switches back but... I have no idea what they're saying."

Liara nodded in reply. "Yes, I have sometimes noticed that they'll do that when they're by themselves." Shepard was more than a little surprised when it was Ashley who spoke up.

"Kaidan told me that they're speaking Italian." Shepard's ears pricked up at that. "He's been trying to figure out who they are..."

Shepard sighed, not missing the implication in Ashley's voice. She opted for changing the subject. "So, you and Tom seem to be getting on quite well."

Tali looked a little awkward at that. "He's a nice guy and he's been really good at helping me with human interactions."

Liara frowned a little. "Tom? I meant to ask, is he Vakarian's brother or something?"

"No, he's Kira's sister," Shepard explained.

"Kira? The human?"

Shepard sighed a little in response, realising that no one had explained the twins' origin to the asari. "It's all very confusing and complicated, Liara. I'll explain later."

Liara simply nodded before Ashley frowned. "I thought Kira was _your_ sister. Especially before she dyed her hair."

Liara nodded once more in agreement. "That's what I thought, but then I figured that I might just not be good with human faces."

"Okay, seriously guys. No more guessing about who Tom and Kira are. Kira sort of hinted that knowing too much could be... Problematic. As in, universe destroying paradoxes, okay? So, the less we speculate about the future, the better," Shepard told them, causing Liara to frown at them.

"Wait, the future?"

"See, this is what happens when you don't talk to people," Shepard told her before shrugging. "Kira and Tom are, apparently, from the future."

Liara gave her a look that suggested that she was either worried for her mental health, or suspected that she was playing a joke on her. "The future?"

"It's true," Tali told her. "I didn't believe it either but Tom let me get a look at his omni-tool and I can't think of another explanation."

"This is all just changing the subject, anyway. I still haven't had a real answer about you and Tom," Shepard prompted, causing Tali to bow her head in such a way that made Shepard suspect that she was blushing beneath the mask.

"I, erm... Why are you so bothered?"

"Because I've seen the way that boy looks at you. He may not know it himself yet, but he likes you."

"I... No, he doesn't."

"Do you like him?" Liara asked, causing the quarian to begin wringing her hands together.

"Well, yeah, I guess. I mean, he's really sweet and stuff. But he doesn't feel the same, I don't think. From what I gather, he doesn't do anything more than casual relationships which are out of the question because of this damn suit..."

Shepard just gave her a knowing smile. "Just give him time. I'm more than sure that he'll come around."

Liara gave her a slight frown at that. "I've wondered about this a little. You seem awfully good at reading people. Even other species."

Shepard simply shrugged. "It's just something I've always had a knack for. It's helped me out of more than a few sticky situations." She wasn't going to tell them that whatever weird variation of biotics she had helped her out a little. She prefered to keep that to herself.

"It's strange that you can even read turians. Most other species struggle with that," Tali observed. "So, you actually think Tom likes me?"

"Definitely."

"What about Vakarian?" Liara asked, catching Shepard more than a little off guard.

"What about him?"

"What's your read on him?"

Shepard frowned at that. She and Garrus had been working well together since they had finally talked about what had happened, although they had both been keeping quiet about it. They figured the less others knew, the better. "What am I? A magic 8-ball?"

"A what?"

She shook her head. "Never mind..."

"Okay, fine. What about Nihlus, then?"

Tali piped up again at that. "Yeah, he seems to keep to himself, mostly. Although Tom says that he's been talking with Kira quite a bit."

"Yeah, they're getting on quite well," Shepard replied, causing Liara to give an insinuating look that confused her a little, not realising what the asari was suggesting. "I think Nihlus is mostly motivated by his own amusement and Kira's quite easy to provoke."

"She's not exactly easy to get on with," Ashley said, causing Shepard to shrug.

"She's a long way from home."

"So's Tom," Tali pointed out.

Shepard just shrugged once more, pretty sure that Kira wouldn't want her talking about her business. "Okay, I'd better go."

Liara to raise her eyebrow. "To see Vakarian?"

Shepard didn't miss the implication in her voice that made her frown a little. "Yeah, Garrus and I are both in charge of this mission. That involves talking sometimes."

Liara was smiling a little as Ashley gave Shepard a slightly disgusted look, confusing her further.

"So, it's 'Garrus' now?" Tali asked, once more losing Shepard with her insinuation.

"Well, yeah... Actually, for that matter, stop calling me Shepard so much. It's Sophia, okay?"

They nodded as she walked out of the room, before Liara turned to Tali.

"She's completely clueless, isn't she?"

The quarian smiled behind her mask at that. "They're both as bad as each other. I don't think it's even _occurred_ to them..."

Ashley was prepared to get as far away from the two aliens as possible as soon as Shepard had left the room, but she had to admit that the direction the conversation was headed prompted her to stay. Even, to speak up. "You don't think _what_ has occurred to them?"

Liara blushed a little at that, looking a little embarrassed. "Just that they seem to be getting along very well. They actually seem to... _care_ about each other."

Ashley shook her head at that, deciding against voicing what she was _actually _thinking. "Yeah, I don't think that's occurred to anyone."

Liara frowned a little at the bite in her words, sharing a significant glance with Tali.

"I guess tensions between humans and turians are still too high to consider making friends... Although Shepard does seem to be making friends with everyone, regardless."

"Yeah, Kaidan says she's always been like that."

Liara frowned a little at that. "Kaidan? The other human biotic?"

"Yeah. I think he and Shepard are... Well, _you know_," Ashley told them, a little ruefully. She had been fuming over her rejection by Kaidan - presumably caused by the fact that he only had eyes for Shepard - and hadn't really had anyone to tell about it.

"Wait, they're _together_?" Tali asked, confused.

Ashley shrugged. "Alliance regs forbid fraternization but... They've known each other for years and the way he looks at her, well, it's pretty easy to put two and two together."

"Oh! But we thought-" Tali started but Liara cut her off.

"Never mind. Our mistake..."

* * *

"I was wondering where you were..." Kira commented, causing her brother to jump. "What's got you so jumpy?"

"Nothing," He replied, hurriedly. "Just... What are you doing down here?"

She gave him a confused look at that. Tom had never been especially good at keeping secrets. "I was just about to ask you the same thing."

"I was just, erm... Never mind. I actually wanted to ask you something."

She frowned a little. "What?"

"Well, I just... Have you noticed how close Shepard and Kaidan are?"

"Of course. No aid from the other species means no Jump Zero. Biotics had to figure it out for themselves and teach each other."

Tom flinched a little at that. Biotic training had been tough enough. He couldn't imagine having to figure things out from scratch. "So, they've known each other since they joined the Alliance?"

"Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"Just... I know you've said that, well that things don't have to turn out exactly right but... what happens if this changes?"

"Nothing. It's not relevant. At least, it shouldn't be, but I don't think you have to worry. Kaidan dies on Virmire in both timelines."

Tom nodded at that, feeling uneasy. It wasn't right that the news of someone's impending demise brought him relief, but he couldn't help it. What would happen to him and Kira if things changed?

"So, are you going to tell me what you're doing down here?"

Tom looked a little awkward at that. "I was looking... I was looking for Tali," He mumbled, causing her to roll her eyes at the obvious attempt to hide.

"So, you're just ignoring my advice then?"

"Advice?"

She rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. Don't let yourself get _too_ attached. It'll only make it harder to leave when we go back home."

Her brother frowned at that. "Kira, I've been looking at the time travel data and... Well, the prevalent theory is-"

"Alternate timelines running parallel to each other, I know. It makes sense, I mean, it accounts for paradoxes and the like. But, you know what that means, right? Cai's alive. We just have to get back to him."

Tom sighed at the hopeful smile across his sister's features. Kira was terrible for burying her head in the sand at times, refusing to face reality. "Yes, it does mean that he's alive but, Kira, you can't travel between timelines. It's impossible."

"They used to say that time travel was impossible, too," She simply pointed out.

"Kira, have you been reading the same stuff I have? It warns that you shouldn't even attempt it. In fact, there's a general order against such a thing. You could destabilise one, if not both of the timelines." He started to growl as he realised that his words were having no effect on the determined set of his sister's jaw.

"Ask me if I care," She growled back, causing his biotics to flare a little.

"Kira, I can't believe that even you would be this selfish. To put billions of lives at risk for what? _Nothing_."

She punched him across the jaw as he spat the last word, catching him off guard.

"I'm the selfish one, huh?" She hissed through gritted teeth. "Don't get all moral on me, we both know the reason you want to stay here. But we also know how this particular story ends. _Don't get attached_. You'll only end up hurting yourself in the long run."

"Says the woman who has been getting awfully close with a dead man," He replied cooly, the implication clear in his tone. "We can change what happens, Kira. The future is not set in stone," He told her simply before walking out of the room, leaving his sister to give a frustrated sob before she punched the bulkhead.

"Doesn't that hurt?"

She spun around to see Nihlus standing behind her, rooting her to the spot with surprise. "How... Erm, how long have you been here?"

"Long enough," He replied, causing her to look a little sheepish as he moved closer to her, indicating to her hand. "You're bleeding."

"I, erm, yeah. I guess I am..." She muttered, inspecting the wound. Her skin over her knuckles had split, revealing cybernetics beneath. "It'll close up in a few moments," She said before frowning a little. "So, erm, how much of that did you hear?"

"I entered the room just in time to see you punch your brother in the face."

"Ah..."

"So, I can't help but wonder who the 'dead man' you know is," He commented.

"Keep on wondering, then," She replied - cursing the fact that this was the one time she and Tom had been speaking Turian Common while alone - in the hopes that he would drop it.

He didn't answer right away, instead taking another step towards her. She backed up a little in response as his eyes drifted to her shoulder. "I would, but I think I already know."

She raised her eyebrows at that, determined to not give anything away as she folded her arms. She knew that he was only getting up in her personal space to make her uncomfortable so that she would slip up. She'd been questioned more than enough times to understand how it worked. "Oh yeah? So, what do you _know_?"

"That bullet on Eden Prime wasn't meant for you. How could it be? You're not supposed to be here. And, yet, Saren shot _someone_ originally because you were just repeating steps to get evidence on him. _My_ steps. I'm the one he was supposed to shoot."

"Maybe. Or maybe it was a dockworker. Or Shepard. Or Alenko. Point is, this is all just speculation. And I'm not dumb enough to run around telling everyone how things are supposed to go down."

He simply shook his head at her attempt to throw him off. "That may work on the others, but not me," He told her, causing her to give him a death glare. "Thank you."

She was a little surprised by the softness in his tone, causing her to frown. She really wasn't used to having friends, she figured. "No problem. Or, you know, it wouldn't be, if that bullet had actually been meant for you. Which it wasn't."

He smiled at that. "Well, thank you anyway. So, what prompted you to punch Tom in the first place?"

She shrugged. "He, erm... I figured out that our timeline isn't gone, it's just running parallel to this one."

"So you intend to go back once you're done here?"

"Yeah. My life is there. _Caius_ is there. I fully intend to stick around until the Reaper threat is dealt with but once it's over, I'm going home."

"But Tom doesn't want to go?"

She frowned at that, looking more than a little confused. "I don't- He thinks it's too dangerous to attempt."

"And you don't agree with his assessment?"

"I just- I _have_ to try at least. Those two are my family. We've _always_ stuck together. 'No one left behind', we'd always say. But, I guess Tom doesn't feel the same way..."

Nihlus gave her a sympathetic trill of his subharmonics at that, a little surprised when she responded directly with some of her own. "Wait, did you just-"

"My brother's a turian and so is my husband. How else do you think I can speak Turian Common?"

"I guess it just never occurred to me that humans could ever produce subharmonic tones."

"I think you'll find that I am not exactly your _average_ human," She told him, finally smiling a little.

"Yeah, I think I'm starting to get that..."

* * *

"So, why do you hate it when people call you Vakarian?"

Garrus jumped a little under the mako as he heard Shepard's familiar voice next to him, making him wonder how the hell she had snuck up on him. But he was careful to not let her know how startled he was as he pulled himself out from under the vehicle, only to find the cargo empty except for the two of them.

"My dad is Vakarian. I'm just Garrus."

"Huh..."

"What?"

"That's the same reason I hate everyone calling me Shepard."

Garrus frowned at that. "Everyone _does_ call you Shepard."

"Only because they're scared of me."

"I'm not scared of you, _Sophia_. In fact, I'm not exactly sure why everyone's so scared. You're not that tough."

She gave him an incredulous look as she let her biotics flicker over her skin a little. "_Really_?"

"Yeah. _Really._"

"You really think you can take me, Garrus? I have biotics."

He grinned at that. "In case you're forgetting, that's never phased me in the past. Although I do wonder..."

"What?"

"Well, the rumour was that you're the strongest human biotic."

She shrugged at that. "Might be. They never really tested us against each other. One of the disadvantages of no formal training. What about turians? Do turian biotics get formal training?"

"Yeah, but I don't really know the details. Only that it's... Well, there aren't a lot of turian biotics. They aren't treated particularly well."

Shepard's gaze became a little distant at that, a slight frown across her features. "That might explain why Kira is so protective of her brother..."

As if in response to Shepard's comment, Tom come storming out of engineering, his biotics flaring a little as he growled. Garrus made a hissing noise, that almost sounded like a sympathetic wince of pain, that made Shepard frown as Tom realised that they were there.

"Who hit you?" Garrus asked, his eyes firmly on Tom's right mandible.

Now that Shepard was looking, she noticed a little blue blood alongside his usual markings. Tom's biotics died down - although they were still strong enough to prevent anyone from approaching - as he began to look sheepish. Shepard moved over to the medkit, getting out the medigel, before moving back over to Tom.

"Here, let me take a look," She told him as she began to flare her own biotics to counteract his.

His growling died down a little as he frowned before nodding. "Ow!" He protested as Shepard started to apply the medigel, his biotics flaring a little more momentarily.

"Don't be such a baby," She countered, although Garrus was still frowning at him.

"Who did that to you?" He asked again, causing Tom to look a little sheepish.

"I... Said some things I probably shouldn't have to Kira."

Shepard raised her eyebrow at that as she finished applying the medigel. "Your - _hold still_! Your _sister_ did this to you?"

Tom gave the best shrug he could while keeping his face still. "Like I said, she was... I could have possibly had more tact. She's still having a hard time here and... There's no way she would be so idiota as to actually do it but... She called me _selfish_. _Kira_ called _me_ selfish for not wanting to... Hell, maybe she's right..."

Shepard gave him a sympathetic look at that. "Tom, slow down. What exactly did you two fight about?"

He sighed, nodding as his biotics finally dissipated completely. Shepard was nothing but sympathetic, she too had difficulty keeping them in check when she was upset.

"We can't get back; we're stuck here, but Kira is still determined to make an attempt, no matter how dangerous it might be. I tried to... dissuade her. I could have probably been more tactful..."

"She has left her husband behind," Shepard reasoned.

Tom nodded, his movements a little aggravated. "Don't you think I know that? Cai is my best friend; practically my brother! Hell, we've known eachother since we were kids. We grew up together! I don't _want_ to stay here for the rest of my life; I don't _want_ to leave my parents and my best friend behind but we have no choice. It's done. The only thing to do now is move forward..." He trailed off as Shepard thought on how to respond.

He and Kira had both had their lives ripped away from them, but he was right. It had been a month and there was nothing left for them to do but move forward. She doubted that it would lessen the sting, though...

"Doesn't hurt any less, though, does it?" Garrus asked, voicing Shepard's thoughts.

Tom shook his head, giving what Shepard figured equated to a sad smile. "No, no it doesn't. You know, it's our birthday. Kind of. It was a few months from when we left and, well, despite arriving at a different time of year, the right amount of time has passed..."

"Birthday?" Garrus asked.

Shepard was the one to answer. "It's a human celebration. It occurs every year on your day of birth. I'm guess turians don't have them?"

Garrus shook his head, causing Shepard to give Tom a questioning look. He shifted a little under her gaze before giving a nervous chuckle.

"What?" Shepard asked, frowning a little.

"Nothing just... déjà vu. I can't give you the answers you want but I have a human sister, surely it's not that much of a surprise that I have a birthday."

"No, I guess not," Shepard replied, not entirely happy with her lack of answers.

"Thanks for the medigel... Commander," He said.

Shepard nodded. "No problem. I hate to see you and Kira shut yourselves off from everyone else. You know, Tali isn't the only other person onboard the ship."

She could have sworn that his neck turned blue at that as he ducked his head a little. "I... I guess I'd better try to be more sociable, if I'm gonna be stuck here," He replied before leaving.

Shepard turned to Garrus, her smile wide. "I think I'm getting through to him. I think I'm getting through to everyone. We'll be working as a team before you know it."

"I don't doubt it," Garrus told her before frowning a little. "What's di- day-"

"Déjà vu? It's a human phrase - French - it describes the feeling that you've seen something before. Although I'm a little confused. I had assumed that they had been raised by turians, given Kira's knowledge of your culture."

"I haven't been able to figure out much about Tom. As much as he's a bad liar, he's been keeping to himself ever since we boarded the Normandy..."

"What interests me is how strong his biotics seemed... I didn't think turian biotics were as strong as humans on average but Tom might actually be as strong as me..."

"Hmm..."

"What?"

"Nothing. Just wondering if you're _really_ the strongest biotic on this ship."

Shepard grinned at that. "We might just have to include everyone else in our kill counting. But first we need to talk about how we're going to handle Noveria."

Garrus groaned a little at that. "It's all about the work with you, isn't it?"

"What is this, a cruise ship?" She joked, folding her arms, before frowning a little. "Although I _am_ a little worried. Most of these people won't have seen a human before..."

"So, take two non-human crew members with you."

"Yeah, makes sense. Well, Liara's the obvious choice, so I guess it'll be the three of us."

Garrus paused a little at that. He knew that he and Shepard were supposed to be the same rank on board the ship, but he was under no illusions that Shepard was in charge. So, he was a little surprised that there was no question that he would be accompanying her. "Soph, are you sure you don't want to take anyone else?"

She frowned a little, shaking her head. "No, why? Do you not think Liara's up to it."

"No, I didn't mean that. I meant that you don't have to take me with you, there are plenty of other non-humans onboard."

She gave him a confused look at that. "I know. I _want_ you to come."

He gave her a mildly horrified look at that. "Okay, I'm hoping my translator just glitched because I'm pretty sure you didn't just say what it's telling me you said..."

Shepard frowned before she snorted, starting to laugh so hard that she had tears in her eyes. "Gesù Cristo, I am going to speak with Kira right now about updating the translation matrix with the one she has. This is getting ridiculous. But, no, I said that I want you to... You know... Be on the mission with us. I like working with you, Garrus. Just, you know, not _that_ much," She teased as she headed into engineering, pausing at the doorway.

"'Soph'?" She asked him.

"Well, I can go back to calling you Shepard if you prefer."

"No. I like it." Her smile widened as she turned back towards engineering, passing Nihlus on her way.

The red-plated turian walked up to his friend, his subharmonics sounding with question at the embarrassment across his face.

"You don't want to know..." He muttered, before frowning a little. "Were you just talking with Kira?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Do you know why she punched her brother?"

Nihlus shrugged. "I think they're both having trouble letting go and they're taking their frustration out on each other. In her defense, she's got a couple of biotic burns out of it."

"You don't have to defend her actions to me. I mean, we both know that it's a perfectly normal reaction for turians to fight off stress. Just, not for humans."

"Yeah, Kira does have a _very_ turian nature..."

Garrus frowned a little at the tone of his friend's voice. "But she's still a human."

"So?"

Garrus sighed at that. "Look, this is none of my business, just try not to piss anyone off, okay?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about..."

"And Palaven is an ice planet."

* * *

"So, are you gonna hit your brother often? Because, I gotta say, I'm gonna object to you injuring other members of my crew, family or no," Shepard said as she walked into the engine room.

Kira rolled her eyes at that as she folded her arms. "I can't believe he ran to you. He's such a baby…"

"_Kira…_"

"Save me the lecture, okay? I'll… apologise to Tom later. I just… I worry about him. It's not like him to get attached to anything… or anyone."

"Are you sure that's what caused it? Not the fact that you're having trouble adapting to life here?"

Kira sighed. "Can't it be both? Look, I think I've had all I can take of other people trying to be my friend today so can we just leave the girl talk for later?"

"Okay, I just wanted to talk to you about upgrading the translators. I may have just said something really inappropriate to Garrus without meaning to."

Kira frowned at that, before shaking her head. "No, I don't wanna know. Just give me a minute…" She pulled up her omnitool and began typing away. After a few moments, she nodded.

"Okay, that should be better, I think. I don't know, I don't really have contact with anyone who doesn't speak Human or Turian Common."

"Thank you."

"Five minutes until we land, Commander," Joker told them over the comm.

"Thanks Joker," She replied before heading out of the room.

"Shepard?"

She turned back to see Kira looking a little sheepish. "Yeah?"

"Be careful. Asari matriarchs pack a hell of a punch."

She nodded. "I'll watch out. And stop calling me Shepard, already!"

Shepard walked back through to the cargo bay to find Garrus already waiting for her.

"Hopefully Kira's fixed the translators now so that they'll glitch less," She told him as they headed up towards the crew deck. Once there, Shepard was pleasantly surprised to find that Liara and Tali were still chattering away, although Liara had changed into her armour.

"You ready to go?" Shepard asked.

Liara nodded, her jaw seemingly wired shut.

"You know that you don't have to do this, right? We can handle this."

"I know, Shepard, but… I owe it to my mother to try."

"Okay then. Let's go."

* * *

"_Are you going to hit me if I tell you that not everyone is going to agree that it was a good idea to release the rachni?"_

"_No, only if you agree with them. Although, actually, for that I'd probably paint the walls of the airlock a nice, pretty blue colour."_

"_Oh, so now you think I'm pretty?"_

_She laughed at that, followed by a groan of pain._

"_Soph, you're bleeding."_

"_Stop fussing, Garrus. I've been shot before, it'll be fine. I'm more worried about your shoulder."_

"_It's fine. Just a scratch."_

"_Still, you'd better see Chakwas."_

"_Only if you go too."_

_She huffed a little at that. "Fine…"_

"Should you really be listening to their decon chatter?" Joker asked the anxious biotic sitting in the co-pilot's chair.

"I just… I don't like the fact that Shepard went out with only _Vakarian_ and a child watching her back…"

The airlock opened at that, revealing a bloody, but smiling, Shepard and Garrus.

"Shepard, are you okay?" Kaidan asked worriedly, causing her smile to drop a little.

"I'm fine. Don't worry," She reassured but she could see that he wasn't happy with her answer. She quickly glanced to Liara, all too aware that she had been particularly quiet since they had left the labs, but she knew that she probably needed time before she would be ready to talk about what happened.

"I'll meet you in the medbay in five," She told Garrus.

"_Soph_…"

"Garrus, don't make me order you."

He raised his browplate at that. "As if you could. But, fine, five minutes. Then I'm coming back for you."

She shook her head, smiling, as he walked away, before she turned back to Kaidan, only to see him giving her an incredulous look.

"What?"

"I suspected you had lost it when you chose to take Vakarian over your human crew members but now it's official. I mean, what the hell Shepard? '_Soph'_? What the hell is _that_ about?"

She shrugged. "He said to call him Garrus so I told him to call me Sophia. I have no idea when he started shortening it but I like it. It's cute."

"Are you even listening to yourself right now?"

"I don't see what the big deal is. He's my friend."

"He's a _turian_!" He exclaimed before calming down, taking a step towards her. She backed away from his attempt to touch her arm affectionately, fixing him with a glare. "I care about you, Shepard. I don't want to see you hurt."

Shepard's glare didn't waver. "I think maybe this is inappropriate behaviour towards your CO, Lieutenant. I told everyone when the turians came onboard; either drop the attitude or get off my ship. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get to the medbay."

"Well, you asked for that," Joker said as soon as Shepard was out of earshot.

* * *

It took Garrus a moment to register that Shepard's biotics weren't _actually_ flaring as she stormed into the medbay, she was simply giving off an 'I'm going to kill everyone' vibe.

"Alenko's not dead, is he?" Garrus asked, pulling her from her rage.

"What? Oh. No, I just… It's as if every time I make progress with one person, I lose another…"

He gave her a sympathetic look at that, touching the side of her arm gently. She jumped a little in surprise at the contact, but didn't pull away.

"You were never going to be able to change people overnight. And even with all the time in the world, you can't change everyone. Some people will always be suspicious of other species."

"Don't you find that sad?"

He shrugged. "I guess. But there are enough people like you in the galaxy to give me a little faith in sentient beings."

She smiled a little at that. "'Like me', huh?"

"Yeah... If you'd told me ten years ago that I would be friends with a human... Well, I probably would have killed you on-site for being a human."

She gave him a questioning look. "So, this 'arguing for peace' thing is new, huh?"

He looked awkward at that. "I'll... admit that in my younger years I wasn't exactly a fan of humanity. I was always arguing with my father about it."

She gave him a disbelieving look. "Wait, your father was an advocate of peace?"

"Heavy emphasis on the _was_. Now I don't think he'll be happy until you're all wiped out."

"Ouch. So, what caused the change of heart?"

Garrus looked away at that. "It, erm..."

She recognised that tone. "I get it. It's a bad memory."

"I'll tell you it sometime just... not now."

She gave him a reassuring smile. "It's okay, I've got bad memories of my own, you know," She told him, surprising herself by talking about her past, specifically the memories that she preferred to keep buried.

Perhaps Liara's troubles with her mother brought back memories of her own parents.

"Soph?" Garrus asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"Let's not go back to anymore ice planets."

She smiled at that before her gaze was drawn to the door of Liara's room. "I'd better go and speak to her..."

Garrus couldn't think of anything to say so he simply nodded as she made her way towards the asari's room.

"I'm not hiding..." Liara said as Shepard entered the room.

"I think that hiding might be justified right now, cara."

Liara nodded, before frowning a little. "I think Kira's translator upgrade is working."

"So, are you-" Liara cut her off.

"If you are here to talk about Benezia's death, you need not bother. She brought it upon herself."

Shepard raised her eyebrow a little at that. "Liara, don't pretend that this doesn't bother you. Losing a parent is never easy but to lose one like that..."

Liara looked away a little at that. "I lost her a long time ago, Shepard. I just didn't know it. That may have once been my mother but not any longer. I prefer to remember Benezia as she used to be, before she was corrupted by Sovereign's power."

Shepard nodded in understanding. For her, their trip to Noveria had proven to her just how badly Saren and his damn Reaper needed their asses handed to them. "As it should be. Hold onto those memories, Liara. They may only be a small comfort, but they're still a comfort."

"Thank you, Shepard. I- If you do not mind me asking, how did your mother die?"

Shepard shifted a little uncomfortably at that, not happy with the shift of topic to herself. "She and my father both died fighting the turians when I was six. Her body was never recovered by the Alliance - she was listed as MIA - but a few months ago, when the war ended, the turians gave us access to a few of their records. Apparently she was a captive for several months before she was killed in a rescue attempt by the Alliance..."

"I am sorry, I did not mean to pry..."

Shepard gave her a sad, but reassuring, smile in reply. "Don't worry about it, Liara. After what I witnessed today, I figure I owe you a few personal anecdotes. Are you sure you're okay?"

Liara nodded. "Thank you for your concern, but yes. My mother made her decisions and I have made mine. I am with you until the end, Shepard."

"I- Thank you, Liara," She replied sheepishly before smiling. "See? Interspecies friendships everywhere. Progress, Liara. _This_ is what progress looks like."


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Hey, a new chapter! Yeah, the update schedule is going to return to normal now that exams are behind me. At least until the summer... ^^**

**Thanks to everyone for reading, super thanks for everyone who has followed and favourited and super special thanks to ****1054SS325MP for the awesome review! You guys all rock! ^^**

******Hope you enjoy! ^^**

* * *

**Chapter Nine - ****The Future is the Past, The Past is the Future, It All Gives Me a Headache**

"_Luna, haven't seen you back here in awhile," The bartender told her as he poured her usual drink._

_Kira just shrugged at him. "I was trying the respectable thing."_

"_How'd it go?" He asked. _

_She smirked at that. "Boring as hell."_

_He grinned back at her as she found herself glad - not for the first time - that the krogan was terrible at human ages. He had once told her that he figured it from height and, in the case of women, the size of their chests. She was 5"9' and wore a double D cup so he had never bothered to ask her for ID._

"_That turian brandy?" The turian merc next to her asked._

_She nodded. "Yeah. Better than the rest of the crap they sell here."_

"_Hey!" The bartender exclaimed, drawing a smirk from her._

"_Sorry, Krot." _

_He shook his head. "You're lucky you're such good company, Luna," He said before turning away._

_The turian next to her took the opportunity to lean a little closer. "So, I take it you don't have any dextro allergies?" He asked, his tone filled with suggestion that made her sigh._

_Sneaking out and drinking were fine but she drew the line at sex with strangers. She knew all too well that she was too young. She wasn't as dumb as her mother seemed to think._

"_No, I don't. But I think I'll stick with the brandy," She told him, hoping that he would take the hint._

"_Come on. Don't tell me you've never had a turian before?"_

"_That's really none of your business." She told him curtly, noting that he was beginning to get annoyed with her._

"_There's no need to be so cold. I could show you what you're missing-"_

"_She said no!"_

_Kira spun around at the familiar voice. She had been about to call over Krot to get him to deal with the asshole but he was, instead, being confronted by a young turian in dark civies._

"_Stay out of this, kid," The merc told Caius who growled in response. The merc went to hit him but Kira grabbed his fist, quickly transferring his momentum, using it against him so that he crashed to the floor._

"_Krot, we're leaving. Can you deal with the trash?" She asked._

_The krogan nodded. "Life's never dull with you around Luna, just get rid of the kid."_

_She quickly paid for her drink before dragging Caius out of the bar by his sleeve. "What in the hell was that?" She asked as she rounded on him._

"_That jerk wouldn't leave you alone," Caius growled back._

_Kira was suddenly struck by the look in his deep blue eyes, making her wonder why he was so bothered. Her traitorous mind quickly gave her the idea that he might care about her as more than just a friend. __**That**__ thought struck her silent. She had never really thought of Caius as anything other than Tom's best friend. But now she was looking at him, __**really**__ looking at him, she realised that he was __**hot**__. He was as tall as she was, the contrast between his deep purple markings and dark blue eyes quite striking._

_Suddenly every moment they had touched each other on the dancefloor flooded into her mind simultaneously. Coupled with the alcohol, she found herself desperately wanting to press her body against his as her every nerve ending felt as if they were on fire._

"_Doesn't matter..." He finally muttered as he started to walk away, causing her to realise that she had been stood silent for several moments, just staring at him._

"_Why were you here?" She asked the first thing that came into her head._

_He turned back to her, looking a little sheepish. She found it __**cute**__... She took a deep breath of cold air in an attempt to sober herself up, although she knew that she was only a little tipsy._

"_I just... Never mind," He said._

_She nodded, unsure of what else to say. "Thanks." She settled for. "For helping me out back there. I could have handled it but... Thanks. It means a lot," She admitted, hoping that she didn't sound completely gormless._

"_No problem." He replied before walking off, leaving her more than a little confused..._

* * *

"Is she okay?" Garrus asked as he walked up next to Shepard, who was leaning against the wall of the base, just taking in the sight in front of them.

"I think so. She's not slowing down so I say we let her continue."

"She's moving _way_ too fast. I can't get a shot in without injuring her."

"Me neither. You know, she always said she was a dancer but I don't think I really got it until now... Anyway, it seems as if she can more than handle things herself, so I say we let her deal with... _this_ herself. To be perfectly honest, I am _impressed_. And I don't often say that."

Garrus' frown refused to lift fully. "I know but-" He couldn't help but flinch a little as Kira activated her omniblade, digging it far into one of the operative's chests, removing it with his heart in her hands. "I'm pretty sure that not all humans are this... _brutal_."

Shepard gave him a look that said that she was a little worried before shrugging. "They're not... I should've known something was up when she asked to come with, especially after the word 'Cerberus' seemed to light a fire behind her eyes like nothing else."

"You think she has a score to settle with them?" Garrus asked as Kira decapitated the last enemy before spitting on his corpse, causing Shepard to flinch a little.

"You _don't_?" She replied as Kira walked back up to them.

"I think that's the last of those sick bastards..." She muttered as she walked past the other two, heading back out of the complex.

"Got anything you want to tell us?" Shepard asked.

Kira shook her head. "Nope. I'm good."

"Really? You think that you're '_good_'?!"

Kira refused to meet Shepard's eyes at that. "I thought you of all people would understand my anger toward those twisted assholes," She said simply, causing Shepard to frown.

"Oh? Why would you think that?"

Kira frowned for a minute before shaking her head a little. "Don't you ever find it strange that both of you were ordered to the same planet? A planet where no human or turian had ever set foot before, both with very similar intelligence reports that turned out to be false."

"Azuke..." Shepard and Garrus both jumped a little as they approached the realization at the same time.

Kira smiled a little at that but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "It was an experiment. Much like the one we saw here today." Her eyes locked with Shepard's at that. "They wanted to see how much damage threshers could do and your unit paid the price. Still think there's something _wrong_ with my reaction?"

By that point, Shepard was putting considerable effort into restraining her biotics so that they wouldn't lash out against the younger woman. It wasn't her fault but Shepard still couldn't quite bring herself to think of Akuze. Hell, it had taken weeks for her to get used to being around Garrus, although she was glad that she had made the effort as he stepped towards her, his comforting presence helping to quell her rage.

"I thought so," Kira said simply before striding past them, back to the mako.

"You okay?" Garrus asked her as she worked to calm herself completely.

"Yeah. But next time Kira decides to take on a base full of Cerberus operatives, she sure as hell won't be alone..."

* * *

As soon as they returned to the Normandy, Kira stormed off, leaving a worried Shepard in her wake.

"What's her problem?" Joker asked.

"I'm not _exactly_ sure. Do you know where her brother is?"

"Engineering's a safe bet."

"Thanks," Shepard replied before heading down to the lower decks with Garrus in tow.

"So, where are we headed next?" He asked her.

"Well, if Hackett's done sending us every single mission that crosses his desk, I think we might finally _get_ to Feros," She told him, rolling her eyes, as they entered the crew deck, seeing Tom sitting in the mess with Tali. "Big shock there," Shepard muttered to Garrus as she approached the other turian.

"Hey Shepard," Tali greeted as she approached.

"Hey guys. You doing okay?"

Tom shrugged at that, indicating to his protein bar. "Not to complain or anything but when are we going to dock somewhere we can replenish the food supplies?"

"I'll see what I can get at Feros but I can't guarantee any dextro supplies."

"I figured as much... Don't worry, I'll make do."

"At least yours doesn't have to be sterilized," Tali interjected, gaining her a smile from the turian.

Shepard couldn't help but smile a little at the two of them before remembering why she had been seeking Tom in the first place. "Tom, have you spoken to your sister recently?"

Tom's features dropped at that. "Not for a few days. She's been withdrawing, ever since... Well, you know."

Shepard frowned. "I thought she apologised for that."

"She did. But... She's been... _dimmer_ since then."

Shepard frowned. "Dimmer?"

Tom looked sheepish at that. "I, er... Never mind. But I've only ever seen her like this once and then she disappeared for a month."

"Yeah, she mentioned that."

Tom's eyes widened at that. "She did? She usually never talks about what happened..."

"Do you know what she has against Cerberus?" Shepard asked.

"No. But it was always the one thing she'd always deal with alone. If Cerberus was involved, she'd never let Cai or I help her. She'd never tell me why."

"You should talk to her. I'm worried," Shepard admitted, causing Tom to give her a slightly confused look before nodding.

"I will."

Shepard nodded before turning back towards the CIC, ready to input a new heading, only to find Kaidan standing there waiting to speak with her.

"Commander, Nihlus wants to speak with you. Apparently he's received a message from the council about a possible lead on Saren's whereabouts."

Shepard nodded tiredly. "I'll go and speak to him."

Kaidan left at that, allowing Shepard to sigh and rub her eyes.

"When was the last time you had a day off?"

She was surprised by that, having forgotten that Garrus was even there. "I don't know... I think we got a few days off when they announced the end of the war..."

"Soph, that was almost eight months ago."

She shrugged. "I know but... Well I guess I'm not used to 'days off'. I don't think I'd know what to do."

"At least delegate some of your work. We _are_ supposed to be working together."

She gave him a grateful smile at that. "Alright then, set a course in while I go speak with Nihlus, then. If you think you can handle it," She teased.

Garrus grinned. "However will I cope with so much responsibility?"

She couldn't help but laugh a little at his sarcasm as she headed down t the lower decks, realising that it was probably her first laugh in the past week.

* * *

Tom approached the corner of the cargo bay, where his sister was camped out, cautiously. No one else on the ship, perhaps with the exception of Nihlus, knew where she slept. Kira had always had an uncanny ability to fall asleep anywhere, so, in order to keep herself distanced from the rest of the crew, she had taken to sleeping in the small space between some cargo crates and the wall.

It took him a moment to realise that she was listening to the old Earth song that she and Caius had long ago declared as 'their' song, as she inspected her visor in her hands.

"_Fools in love, gently hold each other's hands forever,_

_Fools in love, gently tear each other limb from limb._

_Everything you do, everywhere you go now,_

_Everything you touch, everything you feel,_

_Everything you do, even rock 'n' roll now,_

_Nothing means a thing except you and your baby love,_

_Your baby love, your baby love, your baby love._

_Fools in love they think they're heroes,_

_Cos they get to feel no pain,_

_I say fools in love are zeroes,_

_I should know, I should know ,_

_Because this fool's in love again..._"

"Hey," He said softly but she didn't move.

"Do you remember when Dad gave me this?" She asked him, distractedly.

He sat down opposite her. "It was just before we left for basic, wasn't it?"

"Yeah..."

_Kira didn't bother to turn to face her father as he entered the firing range, instead just holding up her hand, telling him to wait. He laughed a little at that, almost throwing her off her aim. But she still hit her target._

"_What's so funny?" She finally asked._

"_Nothing, just, I'm pretty sure that's my line."_

_She gave him a questioning look before sighing. "If you're here to try and talk me out of it again, don't bother. __**She's **__tried it enough times."_

"_I wasn't going to try to talk you out of it. And your mother's just worried about you," He told her as he sat down next to her._

"_Yeah, well, I don't need her worry."_

_Her father shook his head at that. "We're both worried. This life isn't one that we wanted for you."_

"_And what about Tom? Dad, we both know what they- I mean, you've made sure, haven't you? That he won't be in any..."_

"_Don't worry. Your mom and I are doing everything we can to make sure that Tom will be safe. Plus, Caius will be with him. He'll be okay, Kira."_

"_You can't __**guarantee**__ that!"_

"_What do you think is going to happen?"_

"_Maybe nothing, maybe- Dad if something happens to him and I'm not there... You say that he has no choice in this."_

"_But you do. You two can't always be joined at the hip, you know."_

_Kira looked away at that. "I know. But I can't just leave him alone in this. If Tom has no choice, then neither do I."_

"_Kira, just... Don't do this out of some misplaced sense of guilt, either about triggering his biotics or abo-"_

_Kira interrupted him at that, "I get it, Dad. But this isn't about that."_

"_Then what is it about?"_

"No one left behind, remember?" She asked as she finished her story.

Tom nodded. He knew that she had only joined the military for him. As much as she had given him other reasons, such as wanting to leave home as soon as possible, he knew that she would have managed.

He had spent his entire life playing second fiddle to Kira - 'Isn't it such a shame about Tom?' People would say to his parents when they thought he wasn't listening... - so when he had developed biotics, he finally had the ability to be the one who looked out for her. His world view had certainly been naive when he was younger, he thought. He had been convinced that things wouldn't change, that he would simply be on equal footing with his sister. However, he hadn't realised the discrimination he would face. Kira had gotten into trouble more than a few times to keep him out of it, to prevent situations when he might have lost control of his biotics.

She had always looked out for him but when something hit _her_, she would always withdraw, pushing him away. '_Dimmer_' was definitely the right word he decided as he looked at her through the strange blue tint of his biotics, something he'd never known anyone but his mother be able to do before.

"You still want to get back to him, don't you?" He asked softly.

She nodded. "I'll always _want_ to go back to him but... It'll be five years before I can even make the attempt. _Five years_, Tom. I don't even know if he knows that we're alive. I could always try to jump back to the point at which we left but, then what? I'll be five years older, not a considerable age gap, to be fair, but... I still want to go back, though. Just... Can we postpone the argument? We've got five years to have it..."

"I'm so sorry," he told her softly.

She just nodded, rubbing her eyes a little before tears could begin to fall. "It's not your fault, Tom. It's no one's fault. Just one of those things..."

Tom didn't really know what to say to that, so he simply passed her a protein bar. "Here, this is for you. You always said the dextro ones tasted nicer, anyway."

"Thank you," She told him as she opened the packet, realising just how hungry she was. "I've not been eating anything that might put suspicion on us. We've got enough secrets to keep..."

Tom frowned a little at that. "Kira, do you not think it's time to open those files? It didn't matter so much before but now... What if one of us gets sick?"

Kira shook her head. "Chakwas has treated me, remember? I'm human and you're turian. We'll be treated as such."

"Then why can we eat each other's food?"

"Mom could."

"Mom had extensive cybernetics. At the minute, she can barely digest dextro tea. We've both _always_ been able to digest opposite chirality food..."

Kira gave him a pleading look at that. "Tom, _please_ drop it."

He frowned a little. "What is it that you know that you're not telling me?" He asked softly.

She looked away at that. "Not much but enough to know that I don't want to know any more," She lied.

"I wonder when you stopped telling me things..." He relied simply before getting up to leave.

Kira simply sat still for a few moments, at a complete loss. She knew that she should tell him but... How could she?

"You know, this translator upgrade is really good," Nihlus commented as he emerged from around the corner. "I can even understand you and Tom when you start to speak... Whatever language it is you two speak when you're alone."

Kira paled a little at that. She hadn't thought of that when she had given Shepard the translator upgrade so she hadn't bothered to check that no one was listening when she and Tom spoke in private. "How long were you listening?"

"Long enough."

She shook her head a little. "We didn't say anything incriminating so why are you acting as if we did?"

"Hey, now, no need to be so defensive. And, you did, but it was nothing I hadn't already figured out."

She frowned. "So, what exactly have you figured out?"

"Not as much as I would like, Kira Shepard."

She rolled her eyes. "_Please,_ the rumour that I'm Shepard's daughter has been circulating since I came on board. One thing you're all not realising is that Shepard's a _biotic_. Her entire system is flooded with eezo. If she were to have a child, that child would be exposed to eezo, resulting in either biotics or death."

"Your brother's a biotic," He pointed out.

She gave him an incredulous look at that. "My _turian_ brother."

"See, that's why you should have let me finish, Kira _Shepard-Vakarian_."

She paused at that before shaking her head. "You know how ridiculous that sounds, right?"

"Maybe, maybe not. You've already alluded to the fact that your mother was human and your father turian. Once that leap's made, the rest isn't difficult. Especially given that you and Tom look _exactly_ like your parents."

Kira looked away at that. There was no point in trying to deny it at this point. "I trust that you won't tell anyone?"

"Yeah, that's one awkward family reunion I want _no_ part of. Trust me, your secret's safe with me."

She gave him a grateful look. "Thank you. The fact that Tom's my brother has been throwing everyone off but I don't know how long it'll be before everyone figures it out. We just have to keep them guessing until we deal with Saren."

"Then you'll leave?"

Kira shook her head, a little confused by the hint of sadness trilling in his subharmonics. "Not this timeline but Tom and I will leave the Normandy when you and Garrus return to the Citadel."

Nihlus raised a browplate. "What, you're not calling him 'Dad'?"

She whipped her head around, checking that they were still alone before hissing at him, "Will you be quiet about that? And no, if I start calling them that then I'll end up slipping up in front of them. No one wants that, trust me."

"So, what are you doing if you're not staying here?"

She shrugged. "I'm not sure what we'll do for... Well, there'll be a gap. Hell, I'm not even sure if things are going to turn out the way they should but... I'm staying in this timeline at least."

"Garrus will probably make full Spectre after this. There'll be spare room in my ship, so if you've got nowhere to go..."

She was a little surprised at that. She honestly hadn't thought about what she'd do after they caught Saren. She knew that she didn't want to be on the Normandy, for obvious reasons, but apart from that, she figured that if the Normandy _was_ attacked in this timeline, someone should probably make sure that Shepard was actually revived this time around. "I... Thank you. I'll think about it..."

* * *

Shepard bolted upright, trying to figure out what had woken her up as she checked the time. She frowned, noticing that they had dropped into orbit. They shouldn't be arriving at Feros for days. She quickly pulled on her jeans and hoodie before heading into the lift, down to the cargo bay.

"Vakarian, you've got some explaining to do!" She yelled as she stalked into the cargo bay, her biotics flaring a little.

Garrus was leaning against the mako, simply smirking at her. "There are some valuable ores here and I thought we should check it out before we leave the system."

"Right, and you didn't think to check with me first?"

"We're equals, remember?"

"Yeah, it's still _my_ ship."

He sighed at that. "Soph, are you going to keep arguing or are you going to just allow the thinly veiled attempt to get you to relax a little?"

She frowned, her biotics dying down. "Wait, what?"

"I figured a few hours without having anyone pester you, relaxing in the sun, who knows? You might actually start to enjoy yourself."

She smiled a little at that. "You're just doing this because we haven't been to a warm planet in ages, aren't you?"

He shrugged. "I can neither confirm nor deny that."

"You know that we can't do this, right? It's not fair on the rest of the crew."

"The rest of the crew aren't the ones being run ragged by both the council and the Alliance. No one's going to know. It's a 'mission', remember?"

Shepard put her hands into the pocket of her hoodie as she bit her lip, double checking that they were alone before answering. "Urgh, _fine_. But if we get caught, I'm blaming you for this."

"Of course."

* * *

"Fine, I have to admit that this actually wasn't a bad idea," Shepard told him as she lay across the top of the mako, her hoodie discarded, leaving her in just her vest and jeans, basking in the midday sun.

"I told you that this was a good idea. I don't think we've seen sunshine for about a month now," Garrus replied as he was moving about in the back of the mako.

"It's not my fault we kept on hitting planets during the night cycle. What are you doing back there?"

At that, Garrus emerged from the mako, holding a levo protein bar with a candle sticking out of the top. "I couldn't get cake so I improvised. Happy birthday, Soph."

She was lost for words at that, just staring at the lone candle, the flame flickering in the light breeze.

"Spirits damn it, I did something wrong, didn't I? You're doing that thing where your eyes are leaking..."

She snapped her gaze upwards at that, her eyes meeting his worried look. She blinked a few times before moving her hand up to confirm that tears were, indeed, falling down her features. "No, I-" She started, before simply giving up on words, instead quickly blowing out the candle before wrapping her arms tightly around him, pulling him into a hug. "It's perfect," She told him before pulling away, noticing the slightly shocked expression on his face. "You okay there?"

He nodded. "Yeah, just... Erm, turians don't really do erm... _that_."

She frowned. "What, hug?"

"Yeah. Turians aren't exactly built for it. In fact, we usually don't really have any physical contact with each other unless we're, well, close."

"What, friends aren't considered 'close'?"

He shook his head. "Not like that..." He muttered.

"Oh!" She blushed as she caught his meaning. "Sorry, I didn't mean anything-"

"It's alright, Soph," He interrupted her softly. He didn't want her to feel bad about it. Although he definitely didn't want to tell her that he strangely enjoyed the contact...

"It's just... I haven't celebrated my birthday since I was a child..."

Garrus frowned a little. "You never really talk about your childhood."

She shrugged. "That's because there's not much to tell. It abruptly ended when my grandmother died. After that, I had to fend for myself."

His frown deepened. "Aren't orphans looked after on Earth?"

She nodded. "They are but... I ran off as soon as they told me she was dead. I had no other family... Well, apart from Tommy."

"'Tommy'?"

"My cousin. I'd only seen him a few times before Nonna died. It was... _difficult_ to survive on the streets but one benefit of a family full of soldiers is that I knew how to fire a gun. It wasn't long before I started doing odd jobs for a local gang. Then one day I'm making a delivery for them and I get caught by a cop. At that point, I think I'm fucked. The war had put strain on the economy and legitimate jobs were hard to find, so the police had ended up taking a harsh policy on organised crime. I was pretty sure I was headed to juvie. But then this cop looks at me and says, 'Soph?!' and I realise that it's Tommy. We had a couple of run-ins like that over the years. He'd let me go and give me as much money as he could spare."

"Why didn't he help you to find more permanent arrangements?"

She shrugged. "He did as much as he could for me but by that point, things were bad. Most were struggling to just look after themselves. But he did keep a hold of my inheritance for me. He made sure that it was all there when I resurfaced after joining the Alliance..." She trailed off as she began to pick at her protein bar. "I don't now if it's the candle or what but this actually doesn't taste half bad for once... Nonna always told me that my mom baked me the most amazing birthday cake every year but... I don't remember..."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories," Garrus told her.

She shook her head. "They can't be 'bad' memories if you don't remember... I'm sorry, I don't usually talk about this."

Garrus shrugged before sitting down next to her. "It's your birthday, you can talk about whatever you want," He reasoned.

She nodded. "Just... When Kira first came aboard, she told me about how she and her mother had never gotten on very well and then, after what happened with Liara... She said that she was going to remember Benezia the way she had been. I only have one memory of my parents..."

"_No, I understand perfectly, Sir." Rosa Shepard gave an exasperated sigh as she paced the living room of her home, infuriated further by her husband's calm demeanour as he sat perfectly still, deep in thought._

"_Then you understand that I need you. Both of you." Hackett seemed unaffected by the woman's temper as she raked her hand through her long, thick hair, its deep red colour oddly reminiscent of blood._

"_Six years ago, it wouldn't have been an issue but not now. Sophia needs us. Both of us."_

"_Sophia needs us to not be at war," He countered._

_Rosa glared at him. "A war we didn't agree with in the first place! This is __**exactly**__ why we left."_

"_Rosa, you've made your views on the war very clear. But we need you. I don't want to force you to come back, but we both know I have the right. Please just think this over." At that, Hackett left._

_As soon as he was out of the room, Rosa let out a frustrated sound, not unlike a growl, as she started to pace again._

_Her husband stood up before pulling her into his arms and stopping her erratic movements with his gentle touch._

"_I can't, Will. I just... What if we do this and something happens to us? Even if we __**do**__, we can't take Soph with us. Who'll look after her?"_

"_Your mother can look after her for now and nothing's going to happen to us."_

"_You actually __**want**__ to do this?"_

"_You heard Hackett, they might recall you."_

_She began to growl again at that. "I'd like to see them __**try**__."_

"_Rosa, please don't do this."_

"_This war is stupid."_

"_I know, Rosie. But we're soldiers, right down to our DNA."_

_She shook her head. "Don't even joke about that... I just hope that whatever they did..."_

"_She'll be okay. I'm sure of it. Just think about this. Please?"_

"_I...Okay. I'll think about it..."_

"Wait, that was _Hackett_, as in _Admiral_?" Garrus asked.

She nodded. "Yup. The man who ordered my parents to their deaths. Okay, I guess that's a little dramatic. They were soldiers, it was their job. Mama had been a deep cover agent for years before she had me and Papa had been a pilot... Nonna always told me that she didn't want me to join the Alliance."

"Because your mom died?" He asked softly but Shepard shook her head.

"I don't think so. She said that that was to be expected of soldiers but that my mother paid 'too high a price'. She'd never tell me what that price was, though."

"I'm sorry. Losing a parent isn't easy. I can't imagine losing both..."

"You're making that sad sound," Shepard told him, causing him to frown.

"The sad- You mean my subharmonics?"

She shrugged. "The sad trilling thing. It... It's such a heartbreaking sound..."

He clamped down to stop them but she shook her head.

"That just sounds strained. I just... I prefer it when you make the happy chirping noises."

"'_Happy chirping noises_'?" He asked, shaking his head. "How are you even hearing them?"

She shrugged. "I just have good hearing, I guess."

"Well, I prefer it when you smile instead of the thing where your eyes leak, which, I've gotta tell you, freaks me out a little bit."

She laughed a little at that, before her expression sobered. "Is that the bad memory? The thing that changed your father's mind about the war? You lost your mother?"

Garrus nodded silently.

"I'm sorry..."

He shrugged. "It's okay. I was fifteen at the time, already in basic. I was... Well, I was ready to get out there and kill the human 'monsters'. My father was working at C-Sec - this was when there were still quite a few turians working there - and looking after my younger sister. She was five at the time. I never knew why but he always advocated peace with humans. At least, until we received the message that my mother had been killed. I guess for me it brought home the reality of the war and made me realise that it needed to end. My father, on the other hand, was _furious_. He put Sol in a boarding school before returning to active duty... After that, he was always protective of the two of us. He only let me join the Spectres in the first place to get me away from the war..."

"What do you think he'd say to you having a human friend?"

"You know what? I don't care. You're worth it."

She gave him a bittersweet smile. "I think that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me..."

"That's a little bit sad."

"Yeah, I guess it is..."

"I'll just have to tell you more often, then..."

* * *

"Shepard..."

Shepard turned to face Kaidan as she was tying the ribbon up around her bun. "Lieutenant," She answered curtly.

His gaze shifted away at the sharp tone. "Shepard, I just... I'm sorry for what I said about Vakarian."

"Alenko, if you wanted to apologise, you could have done it a month ago when you said it. Why now?"

He sighed at her acute observation. "Because I need you to listen to me without bias."

She raised an eyebrow, folding her arms. "I'm not going to like what you have to say, am I?"

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter if you like it or not. It's the truth."

"Alright then, Alenko. Give it to me straight. What's bothering you?"

"Feros."

"What about it?"

"Shepard, you've taken Vakarian with you on every mission since Noveria but you can't do that this time."

She frowned. "Why not?"

"Shepard, this is a human colony. They'll be much more receptive if you stick to a human team."

"They'll have to learn sooner or later."

"But now isn't the time."

She sighed at that. "If I bring you with me, I expect you to follow my every order exactly, are we understood?"

"Of course, Commander."

She nodded. "I'll bring Tali as well."

"Shepard-"

"No arguments. She looks human enough to not piss anyone off."

"I hope you're right..."

* * *

Shepard couldn't have been more glad that she had brought Tali along as the quarian effectively shut down the geth in their path. Sure, more than a few colonists had been cold towards her (backing Kaidan's argument to not bring Garrus, much to Shepard's annoyance), but, on the whole, it had been a good choice.

Perhaps more surprisingly, Shepard actually found herself glad that she had brought Kaidan along with her as well. She had almost forgotten how easy it was to work alongside another biotic that you were attuned to. She had to admit to herself that maybe a little of her harsh reaction towards Kaidan had been to do with her wanting him to live up to her unreasonable expectations.

Kaidan loved her, it would take an idiot to not see that, but... Maybe it was greedy, but she wanted more. She wasn't sure exactly what, but she felt as if the thing she was looking for was right in front of her, she simply wasn't seeing it.

"Cazzo!" Shepard screamed, her distracted thoughts having cost her footing during battle. She narrowly managed to avoid the asari clone's attack just before Kaidan threw her over the ledge. "Thanks," She told him. "Everyone okay?"

"Yeah," Kaidan answered.

"A creeper got me in the leg but I'll be fine," Tali answered, causing Shepard to move over to inspect the wound, trying to remain calm at the bloody sight as she wondered how the quarian was still standing.

"We need to get you to Chakwas asap... I promise we'll get this over with as quickly as possible. Can you hold on for just a few moments?"

"I'll be fine, Shepard. Really."

"Okay, then," Shepard answered as she shot the final node.

* * *

By the time they returned to the Normandy, Shepard was fighting a fierce headache left by the cipher as she tried to keep Tali conscious. It was a struggle, to say the least, although her suit did seem to have already started to medicate her. Although Shepard's main concern was blood loss.

Chakwas quickly took over as soon as they got the quarian to the medbay, shooing Shepard away while she worked.

As soon as she passed through the doors to the crew deck, she was confronted by a dark eyed turian, his subharmonics trilling with that sad tone, although it sounded a little panicked, that made Shepard want to hug him. But she instead remembered what Garrus had said about turians not being comfortable with physical contact, keeping a respectful distance.

"Is she going to be alright?" Tom finally managed to ask.

"Chakwas thinks so. I don't think she'll let you in until she's awake again, though," She told him sympathetically.

He nodded before sitting down in the mess, his eyes firmly fixed on the medbay door.

Shepard was considering sitting next him to keep an eye on him as she could already see his biotics begin to pulse lightly over his plates. Her attention was, instead, drawn to the strange sensation that she was being watched, which lead her to the figure in the corner of the room, who's gave was intently fixed on the turian next to her.

"Your brother seems... _upset_," Shepard noted as she approached.

"I've never seen him like this before..." Kira admitted, the worry evident in her voice. "It reminds me of the time my mother got sick when we were young. That's _exactly_ how my father looked... Damn it, he really has fallen for her, the stupid, _stupid_ boy..."

Shepard frowned a little. "Why do you not want them to be together?"

Kira shook her head. "Because he's not going to leave and I'm going to be left to choose. My brother or my husband. And I can't... Could you make that choice?"

Shepard shook her head. "Tom told me that trying to go back would be dangerous."

Kira sighed. "I know... I don't... _Dammit_! Damn Tom and his stupid moral compass. He's right, of course. He always is. I just... I can't believe that I'm trapped here. Cai was always my rock, you know? When things went to shit, he always helped me to pick up the pieces. And now things are worse than ever and he's not here. And all I can think about is the future that we were supposed to have together. M-" Kira just managed to catch herself before she said something she'd regret. "Shepard, he was the _one_ thing I did right in my life. How am I supposed to just let that go?"

"Oh, piccina, it's not supposed to get better overnight. But, you'll get there eventually. Just be patient with yourself."

"What if I don't want it to get better?" Kira's voice was surprisingly small at that.

"Kira, it'll get better, but you'll never forget him. It's okay to be afraid, just know that you're not going to lose the part of your heart that belongs to him. It will just gradually stop hurting so much."

Kira just shook her head. "No. I'm not ready to give up just yet..." She disappeared at that, leaving Shepard to sigh as she wondered just what she was going to do with the two siblings...


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Hey everybody! I've got another long one for you here, all filled with plot. The next few chapters are gonna be good ones. ^^**

**Once again, I want to thank everyone for reading, special thanks for following and favouriting, and super-special thanks to ********1054SS325MP for the epic review! You guys are awesome!**

**Hope you enjoy! ^^**

* * *

**Chapter Ten - Drunk is More Fun**

"_Tom told me I could find you here."_

_Kira spun around in the empty dance studio to see Caius, her brother's best friend, standing at the the other side. "Hey Caius. Why were you looking for me?" She asked, a little confused. She was friendly with Caius, sure, but he was very much __**Tom's**__ friend._

"_I have a favour to ask you."_

_She folded her arms, frowning a little. "Okay, shoot."_

_He looked a little sheepish. "I, erm... There's this girl and I want to impress her and she likes dancing so I thought that if I learnt how to dance..." He trailed off as she raised an eyebrow at him, smiling a little. "I just sound pathetic, don't I?"_

"_No, not at all," She told him. "I think it's sweet. I'm just not sure how I factor into it. If you want dance lessons then you should go to Mrs Armstrong."_

"_Well, I did. And she sent me here. She said that you were easily the best dancer on the colony, even if you refuse to compete. She told me that you might benefit from having to teach someone else."_

_She simply gave him an apologetic look. She knew for a fact that she didn't have the patience to teach someone else. Especially a young turian who'd never seen the inside of a dance studio before today._

"_Look, Caius, I don't think this is a very good idea. I'd be a terrible teacher."_

_He shrugged. "She really did insist that you should be my teacher and Tom told me that your parents have stopped your allowance and my parents did give me money for dance lessons so..."_

"_I would make an excellent dance teacher," She finally said. She had been contemplating getting a job anyway and she figured it might as well be something that she enjoyed. 'How hard could patience be?' She figured._

* * *

Kira needed to _do_ something. She couldn't sleep. All that brought her were memories that were too painful for her to deal with right now. She was at her wit's end. She just wanted to _stop_ feeling, well, _anything_. She just couldn't bear it.

"You okay?"

Her attention was pulled from her task of stripping her weapon by the familiar voice as Nihlus sat down beside her. "Yeah," She answered shortly.

He simply sighed. "When are you going to understand that you can't lie to me?"

She halted her hands from her work, leaning back to look at her friend. "Look, I'm just not used to talking openly with anyone who isn't Cai..."

"Not your brother?"

Her gaze shifted guiltily at that. "No. I guess I stopped talking to Tom after... Never mind."

"After you found out _exactly_ what you two were?"

She snapped her head up at that. "I don't know what you mean," She replied, shortly.

"Right. It was clever, misdirecting both me and him so completely, giving credibility to so many alternate stories that no one's quite sure what to believe..."

She seemingly ignored his comment, instead smiling. "You think I'm clever?" She asked, with feigned embarrassment.

"You know I do," He replied, the softness in his tone surprising her. Almost as much as the tone of his subharmonics, which she hadn't heard since...

She yanked her weapon up at that, pressing it up against his temple as she glared at him. "Using _that_ tone with a _bonded_ woman? Are you _insane_?!"

"Kira, it's been six months. How much longer are you going to let this loss rule your life? A year? Two? Your brother has every reason to be worried about you. I'm worried too. I didn't mean anything by it, but your reaction is a little extreme, don't you think? I was simply trying to show you that you're clinging too hard to the past. So what if you do make it back? It'll be five years from now and we both know that he won't-"

"_No_," She growled. "Stop right there."

"Kira, you need to face this. _How much longer_? We both know that he won't wait too long before he'll have to take another mate. It's expected of him. I just worry that you'll cling to this reality that will no longer exist."

She growled. "Don't you think I know that?! But... He won't give up on me. He _knows_ me. He _knows_ that I wouldn't die so easily."

Nihlus shook his head at that. "I hope you're right but... Kira, you've been little more than a ghost lately, and you're getting worse. I just want you to be realistic about your chances of getting back to him."

She lowered her gun as she gave a frustrated growl, turning away from him. "I _am_, I just- What do you want from me? To just give up?"

"There's a difference between giving up and accepting the truth."

She shifted her gaze away at that. "I'm sorry, it's just... that's a sore spot with me. Despite what you may think about our lives before we came here, things weren't easy for Cai and I. His parents were always supportive of us but... Let's just say that we tended to avoid family reunions. I know that-"

"That he'll end up taking a new mate?"

She nodded. "We talked about it. With our jobs, we couldn't not. I told him to not do anything that would piss off his clan. If I ever died, I didn't want him to hold on so that it ruined everything for him. He told me the same."

"But neither of you are dead," Nihlus surmised.

She nodded, blinking away tears that were threatening to form. "Yeah. Basically... It doesn't matter. I'll simply return to the point at which I left, no harm done."

Nihlus simply regarded her for a few moments before replying. "If you really believe that, then why are you so upset? I think that you know, deep down, that Tom is right. And trying to deny it instead of just accepting it is tearing you apart."

She shook her head. "I just... I'm busy. I'll talk to you later." She moved past him before pausing, frowning a little. "You're awfully good at faking your subharmonics..."

He shrugged. "All just part of the job. Trust me, Kira, if I wanted you, you'd know."

She smiled a little at that. "Yeah, I guess even you're not dumb enough to hit on your best friend's daughter."

* * *

Six months of them dancing around each other was more than enough, Shepard decided as Tom walked out of the medbay to get some food for himself and Tali.

"Hey, Tom."

"Hey, Shepard," He answered, giving her a slightly confused look as she blocked his path.

"How's Tali doing?"

"Better but the doc says she probably won't be groundside for the next mission. Although, there's no way you didn't already know that." He folded his arms, fixing her with a knowing look.

_That's my thing..._She thought to herself before shaking her head at him. "Fine, you caught me. I'm actually worried about you."

"_Me_?"

Shepard shrugged at his surprise. "You have barely left sickbay since we came back from Feros," She observed.

He ducked his head a little in embarrassment, maintaining a guilty silence.

Shepard simply smiled. "Tom, why don't you just admit that you like her? It's not the worst thing in the world."

He shook his head. "Because it's a shitty thing to do to Kira."

Shepard raised an eyebrow at that. "Let me get this straight, your sister's miserable because she's missing her husband, so you have to be miserable too? You know how dumb that sounds, don't you?"

He looked away at that, confirming her suspicions.

"Let me guess; you feel guilty about the two of you getting trapped in the past and now you don't feel that you deserve to be happy while she wallows in self-pity, right?"

He growled at that, his biotics beginning to flicker a little across his plates. "_I _was the commander. I should have scanned the facility more thoroughly before we entered, maybe I would have seen some initial fluctuations or something..."

"And then what? Tom, if you and Kira hadn't shown up..."

He nodded. "We still don't know if all we've done is enough but things are definitely staying on track now without much input from us..."

"Tom, everyone in this timeline may yet owe you and Kira their lives. If you could have not made the trip, would you?"

Tom sighed, shaking his head. "_I _would have and I would have paid the price but I don't know that Kira would say the same..."

"Tom, this decision can't be made by anyone else. If you love Tali, then that's all that matters. Your sister's opinion shouldn't be a deciding factor in this."

Tom gave her what she figured was the equivalent of a weary smile. "Spoken like a true only child. But, maybe you're right... I don't know. Tali's still got a few days before she's back on her feet.. It seems a bit unfair to confess any feelings while she can't even run away..."

Shepard didn't dignify his self deprecation with a smile, instead just folding her arms. "I care about you, Tom. All of you. The whole crew are all like family to me and it pains me to see you hurting each other like this."

Tom raised a browplate at that. "Family, huh? Even we aliens?"

"Sometimes, you guys especially. No offense, but you, Tali and Liara are all like younger siblings. Although, I have been told that I have an overactive maternal instinct," She admitted, making him roll his eyes a little.

"You know that I'm the same age as Garrus, right?"

She shrugged. "I know, I just can't help it."

He frowned a little as he thought of something else. "So, do you think of Garrus as family?"

She looked away at that. "Somewhere along the way, Garrus has somehow become my best friend and, for whatever reason, he's the person I trust most to watch my back, so, yeah, I guess I do..."

"And you think _I'm _the one who needs to own up to their feelings. I'll be in the medbay if you need me." He left at that, leaving Shepard wondering what exactly he had meant...

She made it to the other end of the crew deck before she tripped over something solid in the middle of the empty corridor.

"Kira, I've told you a million times not to use your tactical cloak on the ship. It makes people uneasy..."

The younger woman decloaked at that, but didn't otherwise respond. Her eyes were red and puffy, making her look as if she had been crying.

Shepard sighed a little before sitting down next to her. "You okay?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" Her tone was empty of emotion.

"You've been crying."

"No I haven't."

Shepard sighed a little at that. "Your makeup's running."

Kira immediately brought her hand up to her face, trying to rub away the tear streaks. However, she only succeeded in removing more of her makeup, revealing small purple tattoo's beneath.

"Why do you cover these up?" Shepard asked, indicating to the markings.

Kira's eyes widened a little at that. "They're just... unusual. It makes it easy for me to be picked out in a crowd."

"They almost look like turian markings."

Kira looked away at that. "My brother's a turian, remember?" Her voice was so quiet that Shepard almost didn't hear her.

"But he has blue markings, like Garrus."

Kira shrugged. "I used to, too."

"So, why'd you change?"

"I got sick of people equating me to my mother. I tried to distance myself from her as much as I could, so when I bonded to Caius, I took his markings."

Shepard frowned at that, giving Kira an incredulous look. "Wait, _Caius_? As in 'Cai'? Your husband is a _turian_?"

Kira nodded, before frowning a little. "Why is that so difficult for you to believe?"

"Well, just, I guess it never occurred to me that humans and turians could ever... Well, you know..."

"So, what? I have a turian brother and it never occurred to you that one of my parents was turian and the other human?"

Shepard's frown deepened. "I guess not... I mean, how would that even-"

"Commander, we're approaching Virmire now. We'll touch down in ten minutes," Joker told them over the comm.

"Virmire?" Kira asked, her voice a little panicky.

Shepard nodded. "Yeah, the Council told Nihlus that they lost contact with a Salarian team here. They suspect Saren's involved."

Kira nodded. "I know, I just didn't think it was so soon. I'm sorry, I didn't realise that I was letting this affect my work. Spirits, I am such a mess, I am _so_ sorry."

Shepard held back a sympathetic smile, knowing that it wasn't what Kira needed right now, as she folded her arms. "You're right, Kira. I need everyone at their best and you've not been at yours. I've tried to be patient with you but enough is enough. My best tech expert is currently in the medbay, so I need you fully functioning for this mission. We can talk this out over drinks once we're done here, but right now I need your mind on the job. Can you do that?"

Kira nodded, pulling herself up. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good. I highly suspect that killing geth is exactly what you need, anyway."

* * *

"Commander, I won't be able to land due to those AA guns. I'll have to drop you off in the mako so that you can take them out," Joker told Shepard over the comm as she suited up along with Kira.

"No problem, Joker. Take us in range," Shepard replied as Tom and Garrus entered the room, before turning to Kira. "You know, you should _probably_ wear a bit more armour."

Kira shrugged. "I'll be fine. I need the maneuverability more than the defense."

"So, the four of us are going to take down the AA guns?" Tom asked.

Shepard nodded. "Yeah, I figured that I still hadn't seen you two in action together. Plus, Chakwas keeps on giving me grief about the fact that someone always ends up in the medbay after every mission, so I'm going to start taking teams of three instead of two with me. That okay?"

Tom nodded as he and Kira shared a look of amusement. "That's fine."

"Okay, Garrus will take the guns while you and Kira target enemies with your biotics and her sniper rifle through the main hatch. I'll drive." Everybody groaned at that, causing Shepard to roll her eyes. "Harhar, very funny. I'm not as bad a driver as you guys seem to think..."

"_Right..._" Garrus joked, prompting her to hit him lightly on the arm as Kira and Tom found themselves having to stifle their laughter.

"You having flashbacks, too?" Kira asked Tom lowly as they entered the mako.

"Of every family roadtrip ever? Yep," He replied, equally low so that Shepard and Garrus couldn't hear them.

"If you two are done whispering to each other, you should probably strap in," Shepard called back to them as they once more had to stop themselves from laughing at the familiarity of the situation.

* * *

Shepard couldn't deny that Kira and Tom were ridiculously efficient. If anything, she was a little annoyed that she hadn't thought to bring the two of them out together before. Although, the most surprising thing had been when they had all left the mako and had begun fighting together. When two biotics work together, they become accustomed to the push and pull of the other person over time. The surprising thing about working with Tom was that the familiarity seemed long established, despite the fact that she had never worked with him before.

By the time they had arrived at the Salarian camp, Shepard was thoroughly confused, although she pushed it to the back of her mind. She couldn't allow herself to be distracted while she dealt with Saren.

"Nihlus," Shepard greeted as she approached the turian spectre and salarian captain.

"Shepard, this is Captain Kirrahe. He's leading the men down here."

"Commander, as pleased as I am to meet you, we're running out of time. Where are the rest of the forces we asked for?"

Shepard raised an eyebrow at that as she rested her hands on her hips. "Unfortunately, your message to the council was too garbled to make sense of. We were sent to investigate."

Kirrahe sighed at that. "That is just a repetition of our task, Commander."

"So, what is the situation here?"

"We've found a facility run by Saren. It appears that he's breeding an army of krogan."

"That's impossible," Wrex interjected, having been listening in along with the rest of the crew. "The genophage would prevent him from doing such a thing."

"Clearly, he's found a way around that," Kirrahe answered, earning him a growl from Wrex. "You see why we must destroy this facility, Shepard?"

"Saren has found a cure for the genophage and you want to _destroy_ it?!" Wrex asked.

"Wrex, stand down!" Shepard yelled, causing the krogan to storm off, towards the water. She shook her head, wishing that there had been a gentler way to calm him down.

"Is he going to be a problem?"

Shepard narrowed her eyes at the salarian, liking him less and less. Sure, he had a job to do, but would it kill him to have a little more tact? "I'll deal with him."

"Any idea how exactly you're going to do that?" Garrus asked her as she walked away from the salarian.

"Not a clue," She answered, shrugging.

Garrus sighed at that. "Want me to keep my weapon on him?"

She grimaced a little before nodding. "Yeah, I guess you'd better..." At that, she headed towards the fuming krogan, her hands once more on her hips.

"Wrex."

"Shepard... This isn't right."

She sighed. "I know that, Wrex..."

"Do you, Shepard? Do you honestly know what a cure would mean for my people? Because, if you did, you wouldn't be talking about destroying it!"

"I know, Wrex. But I also know that if we allow this to continue, yes your people will be cured, but they'll also be Saren's slaves. Is that really the future you want for the krogan?"

"I- No..."

"Wrex, I promise that I will do everything I can to help you find a cure but not like this. Come on, we've known each other for years, you _know_ that you can trust me."

He nodded. "Alright, Shepard. I don't like this but I do trust you. And, you're right..."

"I promise that I'll do everything I can to help you cure the genophage, but not like this."

"I'm gonna hold you to that, Shepard." His gaze shifted over to where Garrus was keeping his weapon trained on the krogan. "He's not a bad one, as far as turians go," He told her.

"I know. I don't know how I would have gotten this far without him..." She admitted.

Wrex laughed a little at that, shaking his head. "You still haven't figured it out yet, have you?"

She frowned at him. "Figured out what?"

"Never mind, though I might be tempted to stick around just to see the look on your face when you finally realise..."

"Okay, are you gonna keep babbling or are we gonna kill some geth?" She asked, folding her arms.

Wrex nodded before following her back towards the salarians.

"Alright Kirrahe, like it or not, this is all you've got so you'll just have to make do. Do you have a plan?"

He nodded. "My men will create a diversion while you slip in the back and plant a bomb. It will destroy the facility."

Shepard frowned, placing her hands on her hips. "That sounds awfully risky, especially for your men."

"I have no doubt that there will be considerable losses but we have neither the time nor the resources to come up with other options. This is our only chance to stop Saren now."

Shepard nodded. "What do you need from me?"

"You'll lead the Shadow team into the facility and plant the bomb while my men create a diversion. If you could spare someone, I could use some help from one of your men."

"I volunteer, Commander," Ashley said, surprising Shepard.

"You sure you can handle it, Chief?"

She nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Look, Skipper, I know that you don't trust me because I have been less than... pleasant towards the alien crew members. I guess this is my attempt to show you that I won't let my prejudices get in the way of my job."

Shepard folded her arms, regarding the gunnery chief carefully. "I'd be lying if I said that this wasn't a surprise, Ashley."

The other woman shifted her gaze away at that. "I know, Commander. I guess I earned that."

Shepard nodded. "I guess you have." At that point, she smiled. "But, if you're willing to try, I'm willing to give you the chance."

"Commander-" Kaidan interrupted but she shook her head.

"Ashley will go with the salarians, Kaidan. I'm gonna need you to help plant the bomb, anyway. Shadow team will be comprised of myself, Garrus, Tom and Kira."

Kaidan momentarily looked as if he was about to object before he finally simply nodded.

"Okay then, let's go," Shepard told them.

* * *

Shepard once again found herself confused as they worked towards the interior of Saren's base. She and Garrus had fallen into a good routine over the past few months, but, somehow, Tom and Kira managed to fit in perfectly right away, as if they had always been there...

Shepard was pulled from her thoughts as they entered an office, occupied by a lone asari.

"Please don't hurt me!" She cried.

Shepard put away her weapon, raising her hands in an effort to calm the asari. She could hear a slight warning growl from Garrus but she shook her head a little. Thanks to her biotics, she was never unarmed, although the asari didn't know that.

"I'm not going to hurt you. Who are you?"

The asari didn't reply, instead her gaze shifted rapidly between Shepard and Garrus in a manner that made Shepard's eyes roll.

"Yes, we're a human and a turian working together. News flash: the war is over. Seriously, did half the galaxy just not get the memo or something?" Shepard asked, sarcastically. She was getting more than a little tired of people thinking it odd that she worked so closely with aliens.

"I'm sorry, it's just... unusual. I just didn't- Nevermind. I'm Rana Thanoptis, neurospecialist. But this job isn't worth dying over. Or worse. You think the indoctrination only affects prisoners? Sooner or later, Saren will want to dissect my brain, too!"

Shepard folded her arms, regarding the asari carefully. "Give me one reason why I should trust you?"

"I- I can help you! The elevator behind me goes to Saren's private lab. I can get you in. See? Full access. All of Saren's private files. Are we good? Can I go?"

Shepard pressed the asari for the next few minutes, gaining confirmation about everything Kira had already told her. She had hoped that some of the information had been wrong or, at least, exaggerated but everything seemed to match up.

_Fuck_.

"I'm gonna blow this place to hell and gone. If you want to make it out alive, you'd better start running."

"What? You can't... but I'll never... ahh!" The asari ran from the room as Garrus turned to Shepard.

"You enjoyed that, didn't you?"

Shepard shrugged. "Maybe a little."

Neither of them noticed as Kira turned to her brother, an unspoken question in her eyes as she readied her sniper rifle. He lowered his gaze with regret before nodding. She relied by aiming carefully out of the window, shooting the fleeing asari right between the eyes as soon as she came into range.

Before either Kira or Tom could explain, Shepard had the younger woman pinned to the wall with her biotics. "What the _hell_ was that for?!" She demanded.

Tom replied by flaring his own biotics the counteract Shepard's in defense of his sister. "It was too late for her. She was already indoctrinated. Letting her go only leads to more deaths."

Shepard's biotics died down at that, loosening the hold they had on Kira. "What?"

"She killed fourteen top asari officials before committing suicide. Not to mention her work with Okeer," Kira supplied, her voice still a little rough from having been pinned by her throat.

"How did you know that she was already indoctrinated? It might have been done at a later date. We still might have saved her."

Tom shook his head. "You can _see_ the indoctrination," He told her, flaring his biotics a little to show what he meant. "When we confront Saren, _really_ look at him. I guarantee you'll be able to see it."

Shepard frowned a little at that. "How did you know that I could do that?"

It was Kira who answered her. "Future people, remember? We know everything."

Shepard sighed a little at the non-answer as they headed down to Saren's lab. She was getting sick of the mystery surrounding the two siblings. She had avoided prying - an example she knew that most of the crew wasn't following - because she knew that no good would come of it. She didn't _want_ to know about her future. If she knew the name of the man she was going to marry, would she end up marrying him for love, or because she had been told to? _That_ was exactly the kind of existential crisis she didn't need right now.

"Hey, Shepard. Looks like the one on Eden Prime wasn't the only beacon Saren collected," Kira commented.

"Huh. I didn't think you had been coherent enough to remember what it looked like," Shepard replied.

Kira simply shrugged. "Maybe not, but I've seen enough pictures in the database."

Shepard stepped closer to the beacon as Kira spoke, activating it so that she was once more bombarded by the images of destruction that had begun to plague her nightmares. She was pulled back to reality by a comforting, three-fingered hand resting on her shoulder.

"You okay, Soph?" Garrus asked, his subharmonics trilling with something that Shepard had come to identify as worry.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay."

As she spoke, a menacing red hologram of Saren's ship was projected into the middle of the room.

"This is the part where things get interesting," Kira commented as they worked their way back up to the upper level to confront the hologram.

"You are not Saren," The hologram stated, causing Shepard to instinctively raise her biotics.

"Is that some kind of VI interface?" Garrus asked, earning him a slight shrug from Shepard as she kept her gaze firmly on the hologram in front of her.

"Rudimentary creatures of blood and flesh. You touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding," The hologram continued on as if he hadn't spoken.

"Okay, so maybe not a VI, then..."

"There is a realm of existence so far beyond your own you cannot even imagine it. I am beyond your comprehension. I am Sovereign!"

Shepard turned to Kira. "I guess you were right about Sovereign not just being some Reaper ship Saren found. It's an actual Reaper..."

Kira nodded. "Yep, a sentient machine race of pompous assholes. I wouldn't wish Reapers on my worst enemy."

The hologram interrupted them at that. "Reaper? A label created by the Protheans to give voice to their destruction. In the end, what they choose to call us is irrelevant. We simply are."

"What did I tell you?" Kira continued, earning her a glare from her brother. "I bet now it's gonna go off on some tangent about how synthetics are better than organics, blahblahblah..."

"Organic life is nothing but a genetic mutation, an accident. Your lives are measured in years and decades. You wither and die."

"What did I tell you?"

Shepard rolled her eyes. "Could we perhaps not have the running commentary?"

"What? He's just telling you stuff you already know."

It was Tom's turn to roll his eyes at that. "Right, but it's being recorded this time around, remember? So that we can have proof for the council."

Kira groaned. "I don't see why we even bother trying to deal with those assholes. We both know they'll never listen."

Tom shook his head. "What is it with you and Nihlus trying to circumvent their authority?"

_That_ seemed to strike a nerve with Kira as she looked away, prompting Tom to realise that their little side conversation had been running alongside Shepard's talk with Sovereign.

"You're not even alive. Not really. You're just a machine. And machines can be broken!" Shepard told the Reaper, her biotics flaring as she lost her temper.

"Your words are as empty as your future. I am the vanguard of your destruction. This exchange is over."

Shepard and Tom threw up their biotics simultaneously to protect the group from the onslaught of crashing glass as Sovereign ended the transmission.

"What a pleasant guy..." Shepard said, sarcastically as she shook her head. "Why do I get the feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of him?"

* * *

"Commander, can you hear me?" Ashley's voice called over the comm.

"The nuke is almost ready. Get to the rendezvous point, Williams!"

"Negative, Commander. The geth have us pinned down at the AA tower. We've taken heavy casualties. We'll never make the rendezvous point in time."

Shepard groaned at that. This was the last thing she needed. "Get them out of there, Joker. Now!"

"Negative. It's too hot! Can't risk it. We'll hold them off as long as we-" The comm unit shut off at that.

"It's okay, Commander. I need a couple of minutes to finish arming the bomb. Go get them and meet me back here," Kaidan told her.

"No offense, Kaidan, but this bomb _has_ to go off. I don't feel comfortable leaving just you here."

"Then I'll stay with him," Nihlus volunteered as he exited the Normandy. "And I'm sure you can spare Kira to stay, as well."

Shepard nodded, much happier about the situation. "Alright, we'll pick up Ashley and the salarians and be right back."

And soon as she was gone, Kira narrowed her eyes at Nihlus.

"Don't tell me you're still mad at me?" He asked as they prepared their weapons, keeping an eye on the perimeter.

"Should I not be?" She replied, her voice dripping with venom as geth began to flood the area.

"I already told you that it didn't mean anything."

She shook her head a little in disbelief as she reloaded her rifle. "Because, you know, that makes it less dishonorable to use a flirty tone with a bonded woman."

"Don't you think you're overreacting just a little bit?"

"Nope."

"Besides, it's not dishonourable if your mate is dead."

She growled at that, taking her anger out on the surrounding geth. "He _isn't_ dead!"

"He might as well be. Kira, you know that you're never going to see him again."

"You don't know that!"

Nihlus sighed as he shot down the final geth, finally turning to face the stubborn woman in front of him. "Fine. You want to stay like this forever, be my guest. But don't try to deny that this is anything less than denial on your part. I've seen enough people lose their loved ones to see what's happening here. Sixty years from now, you'll look back and realise that you've wasted your entire life on what might have been, instead of just moving on."

She fixed him with a glare at that, making him glad that she didn't have any biotic ability, otherwise he would most likely be painted across the wall by now.

Before she could reply, Shepard arrived back with Ashley in tow, just in time for Saren to appear. Everyone concentrated their fire at him, although it seemed to have no effect.

He jumped down from his platform, turning to confront his fellow turians. "Nihlus, Vakarian, do my eyes decieve me? Lowering yourselves to working with _humans_?! Do you have no shame?"

"Shouldn't we be asking you that question, Saren? Working with Reapers? Are you _insane_?!" Nihlus responded.

Saren shook his head. "I never figured you for narrow minded before, Nihlus. But you can't possibly understand what's really at stake."

That was when Shepard decided to speak up, letting her biotics flare so that she could round the corner to confront Saren head on. As soon as she did so, her vision became tinted with a familiar blue, however instead of the familiar brightly coloured lifeforce, when she looked at Saren he seemed _tainted_ by darkness. Tom had been right, she could _see_ the indoctrination, and he was far gone.

"Why are you doing this?"

Saren's face contorted into a sneer, clearly not happy at the idea of talking to a human. "You have seen the vision from the beacons, Shepard. Even a human must understand what the Reapers are capable of. They cannot be stopped. Do not mire yourself in pointless revolt. Do not sacrifice everything for the sake of petty freedoms. The Protheans tried to fight, and they were utterly destroyed."

"No." It was Kira who replied this time. "There is still hope, a lot more than you think."

Saren's gaze flickered from Kira to Shepard in a confused manner as Tom stepped forward to stand beside his sister, shielding the both of them with his biotics.

"She's right. We can still stop them."

Saren frowned at the two siblings, having had no information or idea about their existence before now. Shepard took advantage of his distraction, to try to reach him.

"Saren, you have to see that Sovereign is manipulating you, just like everyone else in this place."

"No! Sovereign still needs me to find the conduit."

Shepard shook her head. "Together we can stop Sovereign. We don't have to submit to the Reapers. We can beat them!"

"I no longer believe that, Shepard. The visions cannot be denied. The Reapers are too powerful. The only hope of survival is to join with them. Sovereign is a machine. It thinks like a machine. If I can prove my value, I become a resource worth maintaining. There is no other logical conclusion!"

Shepard let her biotics flare further, once more releasing a sound that Garrus thought resembled a turian growl a little too much. "You were a Spectre. You were sworn to defend the galaxy. Then you broke that vow to save yourself!"

Before the conversation could continue any further, the bomb made it to the final countdown, prompting Saren to turn and run.

"Did he just run away?" Shepard asked, incredulously.

"Yeah, and it might not be a bad idea, unless we want to get nuked to death," Garrus replied.

Shepard nodded as they headed back on board the Normandy. "Take us out of here, Joker," She told the pilot as soon as everyone was aboard.

They all held their breath as they escaped the blast by the narrowest of margins, watching the nuclear detonation from orbit.

"Well, that wasn't too shabby. I would've been happier if we'd gotten Saren but we destroyed his facility with no casualties so I think we did well," Shepard told her crew. "I couldn't have asked any more from you, I'm proud of each and every one of you."

At that, Tom turned to Kira, a slightly worried look on his face. "We weren't supposed to make it out of there with a full crew," He reminded her, his eyes firmly on Kaidan.

Kira shrugged. "I don't think that she even really likes him. Sure, they're close, but I don't think it'll change things."

"Kira, Mom and Dad don't start dating until they start working with Cerberus. That's plenty of time for things to change."

His sister looked away at that. "Look, they're working together to take down the Reapers. In the end, that's all that really matters."

He sighed. "I guess you're right... I'll be in the medbay if you need me."

Kira nodded, before pausing, her expression conflicted. "Tom... I know I've said this before but... I just don't want you to get hurt..."

"Kira, if today's proven anything, it's that we can prevent things from happening. We don't have to lose people."

Her gaze shifted away at that. "I just hope you're right..."

* * *

"Looks like you started without me," Shepard commented, folding her arms, as she found Kira in her usual spot, a bottle of beer in her hands. "Did you break into my stash?"

The younger woman shrugged. "Maybe."

Shepard smiled a little, sitting beside her. "So, is it just me or is there more than a little tension between you and Nihlus at the moment?"

Kira groaned at her observation. "He has been trying to prove to me that I'm clinging too hard to the past."

"You think he isn't right?"

Kira looked away at that, refusing to answer, so Shepard continued on.

"Kira, you seemed to be coping, well, about as well as anyone could expect, when you first came here. And then a few months ago, you fell into this... despair, I guess. What happened?"

Kira sighed, taking another swig of her drink. "I figured out that Caius is still alive. But then I realised that, even if that's true, I can never go back to him. Tom's right, it's too risky."

"Why is it too risky?"

"Because it's more likely to tear apart the fabric of the universe than to get me anywhere. Though, as terrible as it sounds, that wasn't actually what made me decide against it."

Shepard raised her eyebrow. "Oh? What did make you change your mind?"

Kira looked away once more, refusing to meet Shepard's gaze. "Even if it worked, and I did make it back to him, the idea of what I risked to do it... He'd never be able to look at me again. Tom's right, you know, I _am_ selfish. I look out for myself first and foremost. I wasn't always this way but it's been so long, now... Every good thing that I managed to scrape together in the past few years came from him."

"I still can't quite believe that you married a turian..."

"Bonded."

"Huh?"

"Turians don't get married, they bond," Kira explained, pulling down the fabric of her top so that Shepard could see her bondmark.

She gave a little sympathetic wince in response to the sight. "Are they... _bite marks_?"

Kira nodded, her hand running up and down her neck, as if to check that it was still there.. "I guess I grew up with this stuff, so I have a weird perspective on it... Spirits, I can still remember when he asked me..."

"_And, finally, the cockpit. So, what do you think?" She asked, turning to her boyfriend, grinning a little with excitement._

"_I think it's brilliant. Definitely worth leaving the military."_

_She bit her lip a little at that. "Are you sure? Because I hate the idea that you-"_

"_Kira, stop, okay? The look on your face just now, when you were so excited for the future, was worth everything," He told her as he pulled her into his arms._

"_Can you blame me? Not to sound cliché or anything, but this is a whole new chapter of our lives. We're in charge of our destiny now."_

_The entire time she'd been talking, he had been nipping at her neck, making her a little weak at the knees. "You know, I don't think I've ever been more in love with you than I am right now. I want this feeling to last the rest of our lives," He told her softly, his teeth resting gently on the exact spot on her neck where bondmarks would be placed._

"_Me too." Her voice was as loud as she could manage, but still so quiet that he might have missed it._

_He lifted his head up, pressing his forehead to hers as his deep blue eyes locked with her light ones. "Bond with me," He said, softly, causing her breath to catch in her throat._

"_You're serious?"_

"_Completely."_

"_I-" She started, but then decided to abandon her attempts to vocalise her answer, realising that it was a futile attempt, instead pressing her lips to his as passionately as she could manage, her hands pulling him closer by the cowl._

"I know that I can't get back but... Realising it after that brief hope was like losing him all over again," Kira explained.

Shepard nodded, before frowning a little. "So, if you _know_ that Tom and Nihlus are right, why are you so mad at them?"

Kira shrugged a little. "I'm mad at Tom because I don't want him to go through this and he's just setting himself up for it..."

"I've been thinking about what you said, about having to choose between your brother and husband, and, just... don't you think that Tom is facing the exact same dilemma?"

Kira nodded. "I know, and I was mad at first - that, out of all the places we had been, it was _here_ that he finally found someone that he cares about - but now I'm just worried."

Shepard narrowed her eyes a little. "Don't tell me that you're going to be one of those people who suffers a loss and then declares love a stupid risk forever."

Kira smirked at that, taking another drink. "As if you're one to talk..."

Shepard raised an eyebrow, before deciding to just let that one go. "So, then, why are you mad at Nihlus?"

Kira looked away at that. "I- He- Ah, okay, this is... He, erm... Earlier, when he was trying to prove to me that I was clinging to the past, he used a particularly nasty tactic..."

"What did he do?"

Kira shifted uncomfortably. "He used a subharmonic tone that's reserved for... showing _interest_."

"So, what, he likes you?"

Kira shook her head. "He said right away that it didn't mean anything. He was just trying to show me that I was clinging too hard to the past."

"But, it's not what _he_ did that's bothering you, is it?"

"No, I- Damn it, I don't know if it's just because I've been feeling alone or if it was just an instinctual response, but... I came damn close to responding..." She muttered. "What kind of horrible person does that make me?"

Shepard gave her a sympathetic look at that, placing a comforting hand on her arm. "A _human_ one, piccina. You can't change how you feel, it's how you act on those feelings that matters."

"I just... I need _time_ to figure this out on my own. It's been distracting me and I've been... missing things. Things are slipping through the cracks and I can't let them..."

"It'll get better, piccina."

Kira frowned a little at that. "When did you start calling me that?"

Shepard shrugged. "I don't know, I use little pet names with everyone. Why?"

"It's just... Ah, never mind..."

Shepard frowned a little as Kira finished her drink. "So, okay, I'm still not... I mean, how exactly..."

Kira's frown reflected her own, until she realised what Shepard was trying to get at. "Okay, if we're going to have this conversation, I'm gonna need something stronger than this." At that point, Kira pulled a bottle out from behind one of the crates. "Turian brandy. This is the good stuff."

Shepard groaned a little at that. "Yeah, I may not be dextro-sensitive, but last time I drank too much, it really upset my stomach."

Kira shrugged. "Yeah, your body can't process the protein so it just kind of passes through. You acclimatise over time, but I hear it's a bit unnerving at first."

"I guess you've been eating dextro food since you were a child."

Kira nodded. "Pretty much," She answered as she poured them both a drink, downing her own in one go.

"Impressive."

"Thanks," Kira replied before sighing. "Okay, it looks exactly the same except it's a bit bigger and blue. Oh, and it's internal until they're ready to, _you know_..."

Shepard almost spat out her drink in shock at that. "Wai- _What_?!"

"That's what you were going to ask, wasn't it? What turian... _equipment_ looks like."

"Well, I, erm... Maybe..."

Kira smirked a little at the furious blush across her mother's face. "Anything else you want to know about turian _anatomy_?"

Shepard shrugged, looking more than a little sheepish. "I just... I was just curious about how it would work with a turian and a human, I mean... That just doesn't seem like it would work..."

"From what I gather, it's not that different. But, then again, I'm not really in a position to make comparisons. I've only ever been with Caius before."

Shepard frowned. "So, wait, you've never been with anyone of your own species?"

"Nope."

"That's just..."

Kira shrugged. "I'm from the future. Whole different set of rules. Well, not really, I guess. I was just never one for following the rules..."

"So, being with a turian was just another way for you to be contrary?"

Kira smirked a little. "Actually, I think my bonding with Caius was one of the few choices I made that my mom agreed with. I didn't tell her at the time, but when I finally did... I think it was the first time in years we _genuinely_ talked."

"Okay, okay, another question; does the different amino acid thing matter?"

Kira shook her head. "As long as you're not allergic, it's all good. But now I'm wondering why you're so curious..."

Shepard's blush deepened at that as she shrugged. "No reason..."

"So, it's just curiosity for curiosity's sake? Yeah, I'm not buying it." Shepard remained silent, so Kira continued on. "I think that it had never occurred to you before that humans and turians could ever be together but now that it has, you've finally realised the thing that's been staring you in the face for months now."

"Oh yeah? And what would that be?"

Kira stood up at that, a knowing smile across her face. "Oh, I think you know. Night, Shepard."

She left at that, leaving Shepard trying to avoid applying Kira's words about big and blue to her best friend. Something she wasn't quite succeeding in.

* * *

Kira stumbled around a corner only to run slap-bang into a slightly confused Nihlus. "Whoops! Sorry..."

He raised a browplate at her. "Kira, are you drunk?"

She shrugged. "Little bit. I- I was just- Just speaking with Mom."

"'Mom'? Wow, you really _are_ drunk."

"Yeah, no... Hang on..." She attempted to straighten herself up to no avail. "'M not gonna 'member... 'M a total blackout drunk... Bu- But I think that I managed to set her up with Dad."

"How'd you manage that?"

Kira shook her head. "Awkward, reverse sex talk..."

Nihlus smirked at that.

"'S not funny. You try 'splaining the advantages of a turian dick to your mother. Don't think 'm drunk _enough_..." She stumbled again, prompting Nihlus to place his hands on her sides to help steady her. To his surprise, she actually seemed to lean into his touch for a moment before frowning, pulling away.

"You're still mad at me," He observed. "For using that tone with you."

She shook her head. "No, you said... Didn't mean anything..."

He sighed at that. "I lied."

Her gaze seemed to snap into focus as she lifted her eyes upwards to meet his. "I-"

He interrupted her before she could finish. "But I refuse to chase after a woman who is still in love with someone else..."

She didn't know how to respond to that, so she simply watched as he sighed before leaving her alone once more.


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Mid-length chapter for everyone! Also, two chapters in a week! How much do I rock when I'm sick? ^^**

**I'm happy that I'm finally at this bit of the story, the next few chapters are the bit I've been wanting to write for months now. ^^**

**Once more, thank yous go out to everyone who reads, double thank yous to everyone who follows and favourites, and triple ultra special thank yous to DeltaAgent and ************1054SS325MP for the awesome reviews! You guys rock! ^^**

**************Hope you enjoy! ^^**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven - Yatta!**

"_How long did you think that you could keep this from me?!" Tom heard his sister scream as he arrived home. This wasn't right, Kira __**never**__ yelled. She was quiet and reserved. She was the Spirits damned perfect child while he struggled behind her. And now, for whatever reason, she was screaming like a banshee._

"_Oh, piccina, you know that this doesn't change anything, right?" He heard his mother ask, a note of pleading in her voice that sounded utterly foreign to him._

"_You had no right," His sister hissed at her before running out of the back door._

_Tom let his sub-harmonics trill with question as he entered the room. "Mom, what happened?"_

_His mother shook her head. "It's nothing. Just... Could you check on your sister for me? Make sure she doesn't do anything rash," She said._

_Tom nodded, still confused, as he made his way to follow Kira. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she would be out on the range with her sniper rifle but when he approached he saw her pass them by, her backpack on her back. He ran to catch up with her and, when he did, he noticed silent tears running down her face as she practically ran from the house, her headphones blasting so loud that he could hear the music pounding through them from almost a metre away._

"_Kira!" He yelled to get her attention, resulting in her finally pulling the headphones off, although she refused to slow her pace._

"_Hey, Sparkles," She said, her voice clearly strained. _

_He frowned at the nickname. "Sparkles?"_

_She gave a small shrug as she attempted to wipe the tears from her eyes. "You kind of sparkle when you use your biotics."_

_He shrugged. "Fair enough, Robo-girl."_

_She gave a hollow bark of a laugh at that. "Robo-girl? Yeah, that sounds about right... Except, I'm not a robot. I am something __**much**__ worse..." She muttered._

_He frowned a little. "Kira, why did you yell at Mom? You __**never**__ yell."_

_She shook her head. "She deserves it."_

_Tom's frown deepened at that. "Kira, what is it? What did she do?"_

_That made Kira stop, regarding him carefully, before shaking her head, starting down the path once again._

"_It's nothing, Tom."_

_He gave her a disbelieving look. "Clearly it's not."_

_She just kept shaking her head. "Tom, please... Just, let it go?"_

_He finally nodded. "Fine. But where are you going?"_

_She shrugged once again. "Don't know. I figured I would just keep walking. Anything is better than back there," She said bitterly._

"_Kira, you're gonna have to stop at some point," He reasoned, causing his sister to sigh._

"_I know but I can't go back yet. I can't... I can't deal with this right now."_

_He nodded. "Fine, then I'm coming with you," He told her adamantly but she shook her head._

"_No, you're not. Tom, just go home. Mom'll worry."_

_He gave her a disbelieving look. "As if she won't worry when you go," He countered, a little sarcastically._

"_I can take care of myself," She spat at him. "Mom survived on the streets when she was younger than me."_

"_You're not Mom," He said simply but she started to laugh, although it was a hollow, bitter sound. "What? What's so funny?"_

"_Nothing. Just... I'll be back," She told him before disappearing, causing him to realise that she had taken one of her tactical cloaks with her. He spent several minutes trying to pick up her trail, but couldn't._

_He headed back home and repeated their conversation to his parents. He couldn't decide if they were furious, upset, worried or disappointed with his sister. All he knew was that this wasn't how things should be. Kira was the good one. She was never in trouble and she was a bona fide genius. Besides that, she was his __**sister**__. He wasn't used to her not being there. He wondered where she would go and if she really could take care of herself..._

* * *

_Shepard definitely needed this shower, it was one of the few relaxing things she had left, although she was certainly too wired with anticipation, right now, to really enjoy it._

_She was pulled from her thoughts as she shut the shower off, moving into the bathroom to get dressed. She quickly caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, only to find the image not __**quite**__ right. It didn't look __**exactly**__ like her. Her scars were missing, instead replaced by a few, faint new ones with a slight orangey glow._

_**What the hell**__, she thought to herself, although her body just kept on moving, seemingly independently of her thoughts, and proceeded to get dressed._

_**Okay, I am definitely dreaming...**__ She realised, as she turned to see where she was headed, only to see that the room now had two occupants, herself and Garrus._

_Her eyes were quickly drawn to the fact that he was wearing civilian clothing that showed off exactly what lay beneath in a way his armour definitely did not, although her gaze was soon drawn from that oddity to the, perhaps, more disturbing one, the bandages across the right side of his face that made her breath catch in her throat._

_**What happened to you, Garrus?**__ She wondered silently as she found herself smiling at him like a love-struck teenager._

"_Hey, I brought wine. Best I could afford on a vigilante's salary," He told her, causing her smile to widen. Shepard tried to frown at the word 'vigilante', to no avail. What in the hell kind of twisted reality was this?_

_And, more importantly, why was Garrus in her quarters in civies with a bottle of wine?_

_Just as she thought that, Garrus fumbled over to the music player in an endearingly awkward display as she folded her arms, still smiling widely. Sophia was tempted to raise her eyebrow but her body, instead, shook its head a little as some kind of obnoxious dance music began to play._

"_If you were a turian, I'd be complimenting your waist or your fringe. So... your, uh, hair looks good. And your waist is... very supportive."_

_Sophia only became more confused as she approached the awkwardly fumbling turian. Just what exactly was going on here?_

"_Hopefully that's not offensive in human culture. Crap. I knew I-"_

_She seemed to take pity on him at that, cutting off his awkward babbling. "Woah! Consider me seduced, smooth talker. Now shut up and stop worrying," She told him before switching off the music, the words falling from her mouth without prompt._

_**Wait, are we- Is this a date?**__ Sophia thought to herself, watching the events before her unfold with a strange fascination. __**Okay, what is this, subconscious? A look at what might have been in an alternate reality?**_

"_I just... I've seen so many things go wrong, Shepard. My work at C-Sec, what happened with Sidonis..." When had Garrus ever worked at C-Sec? And who the hell was Sidonis? And why was Garrus calling her 'Shepard' and not 'Soph'? "I want something to go right. Just once. Just..."_

_She cut him off by gently moving her hand to the bandages on his face as he pressed his forehead to hers in a gesture Sophia had come to learn was particularly intimate. (What? Kira had made her curious. She'd only spent a __**few**__ hours on the extranet before going to bed...)_

_**Yep, definitely a date...**_

"_I want that too, Garrus. And this might be a good time to start calling me Sophia."_

_Garrus smiled a little at that. "Okay then, __**Sophia**__. I, erm... I have no idea how we should..."_

_Shepard nodded in understanding. "I, erm... I'm going to try something. Trust me?"_

"_Do you even have to ask?"_

_Her smile widened once more. "I guess not," She replied before leaning upwards, pressing her lips to his mouth plates, the feel of his rough plates beneath her skin seemingly igniting the butterflies in her stomach into simple, pure wanting._

_Garrus's eyes widened at the touch. He seemed to try to reciprocate a little, opening his plates enough to allow her tongue through. His eyes seemed to grow even wider as her tongue touched his before he gave a noise that sounded like a cross between a contented purr and lustful growl. After a few moments, Shepard pulled away, regarding him carefully._

"_That was... different," He told her, earning him a grin._

"_Good different?"_

"_**Very**__..."_

_Shepard's grin widened. "How about this?" She asked as she moved her lips to the sensitive skin of his neck._

_His growl deepened. "Yeah, that's... Spirits, Sophia..." He responded by moving his hand down to her top, tugging gently._

"_Impatient, much?" She joked._

"_We can't all have your infinite patience..." He told her as she pulled the top over her head, however, once the darkness of the fabric engulfed her, the strange new dream world refused to reappear..._

* * *

Shepard bolted upright in her bed as her alarm went off, her biotics flaring with the shock, quickly dissipating as a headache kicked in. She groaned at that, getting up as quickly as she could manage, not wanting to dwell too much on her dream. She had no idea what she was supposed to do with these new _feelings_ but she did know that she couldn't allow them to interfere with the mission. She would deal with them after, not before.

She groaned once more as she made herself up a glass of water before quickly deciding that a trip to Chakwas was in order as she pulled on her clothes. Although, Shepard couldn't deny that she was tempted to remain in so little clothing, so as to keep alive the small fantasy of Garrus ripping them from her...

_Dammit!_ She thought to herself, as she headed out of her room. It was as if her conversation with Kira had flipped a switch as she realised that she had really come to care about the man she had once called her enemy and that he was, well, a _man_. Or, you know,_ male_, at least.

_Yep, definitely male..._ She thought as she opened the door to the medbay only to be confronted by the sight of a shirtless Garrus, checking his wounds from the day before.

"Hey, Soph."

She tried not to smile like an idiot at the name that only he used. _I'm acting like a fucking teenger, _she thought to herself as she folded her arms. "You never visit the medbay unless you _have_ to," She commented, more than a little proud of the fact that she somehow managed to keep her voice level.

He leant past her before answering, reaching for the medigel in the cupboard behind her, not noticing her biting her lower lip as he remained in close proximity.

"Don't worry, nothing happened. I just ran out of my own stash and had a couple of scratches to take care of."

_Has his voice always been this sexy?_ She thought as she made an effort to maintain a perfect poker face.

Although, she almost let out a sigh of relief when the medbay door opened to reveal an equally, if not more, hung-over Kira. She seemed to smirk knowingly at Shepard, earning her a glare from the older woman.

"Enjoying the show?" Kira asked as Garrus made his way over to the other end of the room, her voice low enough to not carry.

Shepard let her biotics flicker just enough for Kira to see. "It would be a shame for me to have to kill you so early in the morning," She joked, earning another smirk from Kira.

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, I've been meaning to ask, where are we headed next?"

Shepard shrugged. "Citadel. We figured the council needed to be informed."

Kira shook her head. "They'll only ground the ship. It would be quicker to bypass them entirely and just head straight to Ilos."

Shepard turned to Garrus. "Think she has a point?"

He shrugged. "I wouldn't put it past them. But cutting them out completely could be risky."

She smiled a little at that. "Don't tell me _you're_ afraid of breaking a few rules."

He folded his arms, smirking a little. "Of course not. Just checking _you_ wouldn't... What's that human phrase? 'Chicken out'."

Shepard's smile widened. "Not a chance in hell. But, we should still probably check with Nihlus."

Garrus rolled his eyes. "Yeah, as if _he's_ going to have any objections, but I'll run it by him before setting a course," He replied before walking out of the medbay.

"Forgetting something, Vakarian?" Shepard asked, folding her arms in mock anger.

"If that's okay with you, of course?"

She grinned at that. "It's fine, go ahead."

He left at that, leaving Kira and Shepard alone once more. Shepard braced herself for another witty joke, but turned to see the younger woman simply frowning at the countertop in front of her.

"You okay?"

Kira nodded distractedly as she reached into the cupboard for Chakwas' hangover cures (The good doctor had taken to having a few readily available at all times. Shepard didn't really want to think about what that said about her...), refusing to really look at Shepard. "Yeah, I just... I've got this nagging feeling that I'm forgetting something. It's been driving me crazy all morning..."

"Well, you certainly don't seem to have forgotten our conversation..."

Kira smiled a little. "Yeah, that was an interesting little display of awkwardness there."

"I could still kill you, you know?"

"Shepard, why don't you just _tell_ him?"

She gave Kira an incredulous look at that. "_Right_, because that's _exactly_ the kind of distraction we need when we're about to head off to face Saren."

Kira shrugged. "Well, look at it this way; either you'll hook up and it'll be awesome, or it'll be horribly awkward and facing Saren will be a welcome distraction."

Shepard smiled a little, shaking her head. "Not happening. I'll deal with this _after_ the mission, not before. I'm still not sure that doing anything would be the best idea anyway. I mean, things aren't exactly... _settled_ with the turians, yet."

Kira frowned a little. "But, that's not all that's bothering you, is it?"

Shepard shook her head. "It's nothing, just a really weird dream."

"Let me guess, it guest-starred your favourite turian?"

Shepard blushed a little at that. "Not like that, he was just... Everything was a little different. He had bandages along his right side and he talked about working at C-Sec as well as someone called Se... Si-"

"Sidonis?"

Shepard nodded. "Yeah. How'd you know?"

Kira shook her head. "It's... nothing, I'm sure. We're still not exactly sure how time travel works, nor have we unravelled the mystery of the human brain. There could be a dozen different explanations for what you saw."

"Well, I could use one right about now. Along the lines of what exactly _it_ was."

Kira shrugged. "I honestly have no idea. I'll let you know, if I come up with anything, though."

Shepard nodded as the younger woman administered her hangover cure before leaving the medbay.

* * *

Shepard walked into the CIC, fully sobered up, only to find Nihlus waiting for her.

"So, are we headed to the Citadel or Ilos?" She asked.

"Well, I borrowed your communications array to contact the council..."

"And?"

"And they wouldn't say for certain, but I'm sure Kira and Tom are right. I can't imagine a situation where the council will allow us to enter that space, anyway. It's too volatile. It's more likely that they would keep the Normandy close to help Citadel security. If the council's good at one thing, it's looking out for themselves."

Shepard nodded. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind for my future dealings with them."

"You should."

"Alright, so... Straight into the fire, then. How long have we got?"

"About a day."

"I'll inform the crew..."

* * *

After informing the crew, Shepard had spent the rest of the day cycle checking over their equipment after she had spoken with everyone individually, making sure that they were all ready for what was to come. By the time the night cycle arrived and she reached her quarters, her mind was racing through every single thing that could go wrong.

Sleep had never seemed farther.

She was pulled from her thoughts by a beep at her door, causing images from her dream the night before to flood her mind as she found a not exactly small part of herself hoping that it was Garrus beyond.

"Come in," She answered, trying to keep her voice level. Despite everything she had told both herself and Kira during the day, she suspected that if it was Garrus beyond the door, she would most probably give in to her more primal desires. They might all be dead tomorrow, after all.

She tried to not give a visible show of disappointment as, instead of Garrus, the door opened to reveal Kaidan.

"Hey, Kaidan. Did you need something?"

He shook his head. "I just wanted to talk. You've been... distant lately and I imagine it can't have been easy for you to circumvent the rules like this."

"Huh..."

He frowned at her response. "What?"

She shrugged. "It's just... I sometimes forget the times in my life that we've known each other. When I first joined the Alliance, I was wary but I knew that I had to prove myself to be a valuable asset. We both know what they would have done to a biotic who couldn't follow orders... By the time I was comfortable enough to start being myself again, we were no longer working together and I was with my old squad. And then they died, and I blamed myself more than a little. I went back to my 'perfect soldier' routine, just as we met back up. I guess I'd been stuck like that until we started to work with G- the turians... So, no, Kaidan, it wasn't difficult for me to circumvent the rules because I care about what's _right_, not bureaucracy."

Kaidan shook his head. "Regardless, I just wanted you to know that, whatever happens, I'm with you. It'll really hit the fan when we get to Ilos. If things don't go well, I want you to know- Well, I've enjoyed serving under you. I figure that the galaxy will just keep going. Everything, even the Reapers, will come around again. But you and I, we're important right now."

He had been approaching her the entire time he had been talking, causing her to take a step back in order to maintain the distance between them. She hadn't thought much about Kaidan's affections for her since she had decided that she didn't return them. She never imagined that he would be stupid enough to make a move on a superior officer.

"Alenko," She started, letting her voice take on an authoritative tone. "I don't think this is a particularly appropriate line of conversation with your CO."

He took another step forward at that. "Shepard, don't let rank get in the way of what we have."

She dropped her professional attitude at that, her biotics flaring a little. "'What we have'?! Kaidan, you're a good friend but that's all. I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "Wha- Is there someone else?"

She raised an eyebrow, sighing a little. "Seriously, Kaidan? Can't you just accept that I don't like you like that? Is that _really_ so difficult to believe?"

Kaidan shook his head. "I'm sorry, Shepard. I just... Never mind..."

Shepard let out a sigh of relief as the door closed behind him, before collapsing onto her bed. She felt drained, and she finally wanted the day to just be over.

Facing Saren would be a fucking relief after that confrontation...

* * *

Nihlus sat by himself in the cargo bay, installing his newest weapon mod. Part of him wanted to seek out Kira, to talk things over when she was actually sober enough to respond, but the rational part of his mind told him to just leave things be. He knew that she didn't feel that same... attraction that he did. That instinctual chemistry that he never would have believed could exist beyond species seemed to just be one way.

_As it should be_, he thought to himself. She was, after all, a bonded woman. She may have lost her bondmate, but the loss was still too recent. She didn't need him complicating things for her anymore...

"Hey."

He was pulled from his work by the very woman he'd been thinking of as she stood, a little awkwardly, in front of him.

"Hey," He replied, a little surprised by the fact that _she_ had sought _him_ out.

She frowned a little. "I, erm..." She sighed. "I guess I just wasn't... I'm not used to preparing for high-risk missions on my own. There would always be Tom and Caius, but now... now it's just me."

"Tom's still here," He reasoned softly.

She nodded. "I know, but he... he's got better things to do than spend his time worrying about me."

"He's your brother. Isn't worrying about you just part of the job description?"

She gave a weak smile at that. "I guess. Worrying about him is certainly part of mine. But... I think he has some things he needs to figure out before we finish the fight against Saren."

Nihlus leant back where he sat to get a better look at her. "Then what? What's the plan when we're done with Saren?"

Kira shrugged. "Not sure. There'll be time before the next encounter with the Reapers but I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do during that time. Maybe I'll just make sure that the timeline stays on track..."

"My offer's still open," He told her before he could stop himself.

She nodded. "I know, it's just that... well, I don't... I'm not sure that-" _I could trust myself with you_, her mind filled in for her, making her sigh, shaking her head at her inability to reconcile her feelings. "I just don't know."

"It's fine, Kira, I understand."

"It's just... When I was a kid, I wasn't ever... well, I was the 'good' one. And then Mom screwed up, and then _I_ screwed up and then we both just kept on screwing up in one, big perpetual loop of dysfunction. My relationship with Tom just dissolved into me keeping things from him and... the only thing right in my life was Caius. How am I supposed to just let that go?"

He was about to reply but before he could form the words, she locked eyes with him, the conflicted look behind them silencing him.

"And then I just feel guilty for even thinking about caring about someone else... Sorry. I didn't... Just... I'm sorry," She repeated.

He shook his head. "Kira, it's okay. I just... I hate to see you tearing yourself apart like this."

She nodded. "I know. And, I'm working on it," She told him, before lapsing into an awkward silence for several moments, shifting awkwardly. "I guess I'd better go and get some sleep..."

"Yeah... 'Night."

"'Night."

As soon as she was gone, Nihlus sighed. He quickly finished installing the weapon mod before getting up, heading over to where Garrus was fixing up the mako.

"So, looking forward to no longer having to fix the damage Shepard does to this poor vehicle?"

Garrus pulled himself out from under the mako, standing up to face his friend. "Soph likes to spend as little time driving as possible. It makes for some... adventurous routes."

"I can imagine... Speaking of adventurous routes, when are you going to tell her that you're in love with her?"

Garrus almost dropped his tools at that. "Who?"

Nihlus laughed a little. "Shepard."

"I'm not... I mean, I don't..."

"_Right_... You're not fooling anyone."

Garrus sighed. "Look, I mean... You know that it could never work. She's a human."

"That doesn't mean anything and you know it. You've seen the exact same things I have since Tom and Kira arrived."

"So, what? Turian and human siblings from decades in the future, from a timeline in which there wasn't years of conflict between our two species, means that a relationship between a human and a turian in possible _now_? Or at all, even. I mean, that probably shouldn't work, right?"

Nihlus shook his head. "Normally, I don't think she'd want me to tell you but, under the circumstances, I don't think she'd mind. You know that Tom and Kira's squad had a third member? Her husband?"

"Yeah. So?"

"His name was Caius. He's a turian."

Garrus frowned at that. "Wait, so-"

"She has bondmarks and everything."

"So, relationships between humans and turians are totally normal in the future?"

Nihlus shrugged. "Maybe not _normal_, but certainly less abnormal."

Garrus sighed, shaking his head. "The future isn't now."

"But if we don't do anything about it, that future will never happen. Come on, we could all die tomorrow, so what's the worst that could happen?"

"Even if I wanted to... I, erm... I was actually going to see her, just to, you know, talk... And, well... I saw Alenko enter her quarters. The crew have been suggesting that they're in a relationship since before we came on board but... I don't know, I guess she never really mentioned it."

"Garrus, that doesn't mean anything. They could still just be friends."

"Yeah, I don't think so..."

Nihlus sighed. "Garrus, trust me on this, okay? Tomorrow, when she chooses her squad, she'll take you and not Alenko."

"What does that prove?"

"That she trusts you on her six when everything goes to hell. I don't know about you but I think that means a hell of alot more than who happens to be visiting her quarters..."

* * *

"I should've known you'd be here," Tom commented.

Tali sighed a little, folding her arms as she abandoned her work. It wasn't anything she hadn't done a thousand times in the last few hours anyway. "Tom, I'm fine. Seriously. You're worse than Chakwas..."

He smiled a little at that. "Sorry, I just... I hate to see you hurt."

She was, for once, glad for her mask as she felt a deep blush spread across her cheeks. She took a deep breath, trying to dispel the fluttering feeling in her stomach. It had been months and he had shown no indication that he cared about her as anything more than a friend. At least, not that she could see.

"Tom, I'm kind of busy. Did you need something?" She asked, turning away from him.

His subharmonics began to trill through her helmet in a slightly panicked way, in a frequency that almost made her stop in her tracks... She was sure that that meant-

"IthinkI'mfallinginlovewithyou!"

She turned around, her translator struggling with the jumbled mess of words that he had shouted at her. She frowned at him, although she knew that he couldn't see it, as he fidgeted nervously, his gaze averted from her, the skin of his neck turning a shade of deep blue.

"Huh?" She asked as he continued to fidget, looking as if he was seriously considering just running out of the room and forgetting the whole thing.

"I just... I mean... I think that... you know... I might be... kind of... maybe, you know, falling in love with... well, with you," He said, so softly that she almost didn't hear it.

She was struck silent by that. It took her a few moments to form a half-way intelligible response. "I... you're... You're in love with me?"

He nodded. "Have been for months, I guess... I just... I've never felt this way about anyone before so... I guess I just... I don't know..." He shrugged awkwardly.

Tali moved closer to him at that, stopping his babbling. "Tom, I... I didn't think that you felt the same way."

He snapped his eyes up to meet hers through her visor. "Wait, you-"

"I... might be in love with you, too."

He moved his hands down to her waist, pulling her closer to him, so that her suit was pressed up against his armour, before lowering his forehead to hers, the gesture no less significant despite the helmet. "Damn... You know, this was a whole lot smoother in my head..."

She smiled at him as she moved her hands to the soft skin on the side of his neck. "Turned out okay, didn't it?" She asked him, biting her lip a little beneath her helmet as his hands slowly charted the curve of her waist through her suit. She took a moment to be thankful that there wasn't anyone nearby to see them.

His smile widened a little at her comment. "Yeah, I was just... In my head it had more of a Han Solo vibe, you know? I kind of fear I've ruined my... what did you call it? My 'roguish charm'?"

Her smile widened into a grin. "Tom, you ruined that months ago," She joked, prompting a soft chuckle from him that seemed to vibrate down through her, making her sigh a little. "Keelah, I wish that I wasn't in this damn suit..."

"I actually think that I'd be happy to just stay like this for a while..."

"Yeah. Plus, I guess once we're done with Saren, we'll have all the time in the galaxy for... other things."

He growled a little at the promise behind her words before grinning at her, moving one of his hands up to gently caress the side of her neck, just beneath her helmet. "Yeah, I guess we will..."

* * *

"Soph?" Garrus asked as she revved the mako's engine.

"Yeah?"

"We're following him through the conduit, aren't we?"

She looked over to where he sat in the passenger seat, her dark eyes locking with his light ones. "You know me too well, Garrus."

He smiled a little at that, knowing that in the back of the mako sat Wrex and Liara. No Kaidan in sight. So, he placed his hand over hers as she prepared to release the brake. "Let's go get him."

She blushed in reply before, in a split-second decision, she leant over and pressed her lips to the side of his mandible in a gesture that he had come to learn was called a 'kiss'.

"For good luck," She explained as she pulled away, quickly releasing the brake before he could reply. "Alright, let's go..."

* * *

"I was afraid you wouldn't make it in time, Shepard."

She flared her biotics in response, using them as a shield so that she could face her enemy, despite Garrus's warning growl.

"In time for what?"

"The final confrontation. I think that, since Virmire, we both expected it would end like this. You've lost. You know that, don't you? In a few minutes, Sovereign will have full control of all the Citadel's systems. The relay will open. The Reapers will return."

"Saren, there's still time. You don't have to do this!" She could see that the Reaper's darkness had almost completely engulfed him but still, beneath it all, she could see a flicker of the person he had been before. She just needed to reach that part of him, get him to fight back long enough to end this.

"I've changed since our encounter on Virmire. Improved. Sovereign has... upgraded me."

"You let Sovereign implant you? Are you _insane_?"

"I suppose I should thank you, Shepard. After Virmire, I couldn't stop thinking about what you said. About Sovereign manipulating me. About indoctrination. The doubts began to eat away at me. Sovereign sensed my hesitation. I was implanted to strengthen my resolve. Now my doubts are gone. I believe in Sovereign completely. I understand that the Reapers need organics. Join us and Sovereign will find a place for you, too."

She shook her head, giving him a slightly pitying look. "Sovereign's controlling you through your implants! Don't you see that?"

"The relationship is symbiotic. Organic and machine intertwined, a union of flesh and steel. The strengths of both, the weaknesses of neither. I am a vision of the future, Shepard. The evolution of all organic life. This is our destiny. Join Sovereign and experience a true rebirth!"

"Sovereign hasn't won yet. I can stop him from taking control of the station! Step aside and the invasion will never happen!" She tried to reason, taking hope when that small spark inside of him seemed a glow a little brighter against the backdrop of twisting darkness.

"We can't stop it! Not forever. You saw the visions. You saw what happened to the Protheans. The Reapers are too powerful." He was fighting back, she just had to help him along a little.

"Some part of you must still realise this is wrong. You can fight this!"

"Maybe you're right. Maybe there is still a chance for... unh! The implants... Sovereign is too strong. I'm sorry, it's too late for me." The spark was more like a flame now, finally pushing back the darkness, although they both knew that its efforts would be short lived.

"It's not over yet. You can still redeem yourself!"

A final, bright flare against the all-consuming darkness.

"Goodbye, Shepard. Thank you."

She kept eye contact as he pulled the trigger, figuring that he deserved nothing less.

It was several moments before anyone spoke.

"Did you just-" Garrus started.

"Talk Saren into shooting himself? I think so." She was a little dazed by what had just happened, not quite ready to believe it.

"Spirits, Soph... You really are just something else, aren't you?"

She gave him a sheepish smile, shrugging. "I had good luck on my side," She reasoned, heading up towards the controls.

"Vigil's data file works. I've got control of all systems," She told them.

"Quick! Open the station's arms. Maybe the fleet can take Sovereign down!" Garrus said, aware that they needed to do _something_ to stop the Reaper.

She nodded. "I'll try to open up a communications channel to inform them."

As soon as she opened up the channel, her omni-tool began blaring a distress signal from the Destiny Ascension, although, after a few seconds, it dissolved into static.

"Normandy to the Citadel. Normandy to the Citadel. Please tell me that's you, Sophia."

She smiled a little. That was why she'd always like Joker. He was the only one, besides Garrus, who would actually call her by her name. "I'm here, Joker."

"We caught that distress call. I'm sitting here in the Andura sector with the entire Arcturus fleet. We can save the Ascension. Just unlock the relays around the Citadel and we'll send the cavalry in!"

She was pulled from her thoughts as Garrus put his hand on her arm, drawing her attention to him. "Soph," He started, softly. "Are you really willing to sacrifice human lives to save the Council?"

She nodded. "Change has to start somewhere, Garrus..."

"Soph, don't waste your reinforcements on an ideal. Hold them back until the Citadel arms open up. Save the human fleet to attack Sovereign."

"No, Garrus, if we're to get the future that Kira and Tom talk about, we have to show that we can all work together, as part of a galactic community."

He sighed. "And people think _I'm_ idealistic..."

"Opening the relays now, Joker. We need to save the Ascension - no matter the cost!"

"I hope you're right about this, Soph."

She gave him a weak smile. "Yeah, me too..." She commented before looking over at Saren's body, something flickering on the edge of her biotic vision. "Make sure he's dead..."

Garrus nodded before heading down with Liara and Wrex in tow, shooting Saren's corpse through the head. That only seemed to aggravate the dark energy that was, once more, building within the turian's corpse.

"Guys! Get down!" Shepard yelled in warning as she flared her biotics, ready to take on the new, skeletal form of what had once been Saren.

It was a tough fight but, between the four of them, the Reaper's abomination had never really stood a chance. It was over before it had even really begun.

As soon as it was dead once more, Shepard was so relieved that she barely had time to register the large section of Reaper hurtling towards them, her instincts throwing up her biotics to protect herself, but not extending them to anyone else, leaving her to wonder what had become of her other squadmates as she was flown across the room.

The world turned dark before she got her answer...


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Another chapter! Heading into post ME1 territory now. The plan is to just keep going on into ME2 because I keep getting ideas... ^^**

**Kind of been waiting for this chapter since day one... ^^**

**Thanks again go to everyone who reads this. Double thanks to everyone who favourites and follows, with special triple thanks to barbex for the review! I just do this for shits and giggles, so it's really nice to know that other people enjoy it. ^^**

**Hope you enjoy! ^^**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve - The Beginning. If There is Such a Thing.**

"_It was always a long shot..." Sophia told her husband as he sat next to her in the garden of their new home. "The life we've lived for years? Plus, you know, dying twice... it's not surprising that I can't..." She sighed. "It was a long shot."_

_He pulled her into his arms, getting the distinct feeling that she was trying to reassure herself just as much as him. "There are always other options."_

_She nodded. "I know. And maybe we should just take some time for ourselves. Just the two of us."_

_He nodded back, although he knew that she didn't mean it. They'd already had time for just the two of them and they couldn't escape the fact that the new house felt far too big for only two people._

"_I love you, Soph."_

_She smiled at him. "I love you too, Garrus," She replied just as he omni-tool bleeped at her. "What now?" She asked as she activated it, reading the message._

"_Who is it?" _

_His bondmate frowned. "Anderson. I don't think he knows what the word 'retired' means..." She muttered._

_Her husband grinned at her. "You know you've missed the action."_

_She grinned back. "Okay, maybe a little. They're still cleaning up the remaining Cerberus labs and he wants us to go and take a look."_

"_Sounds like exactly what we need right now."_

* * *

"Do we know where they are?" Kira asked as soon as they docked with the Citadel, her brother right behind her, preparing to leave.

"We haven't received word yet," Joker answered as Nihlus jogged up to them. "Communications are still down. You'll have to search for them on foot."

"I'll go with you. It's probably the only way you'll be let through," Nihlus told them.

Kira nodded before heading out. "I hate to say it but... we should probably head towards the hospital."

"Which one?" Nihlus asked. "Isn't that part of the problem?"

"Yeah, but I think we can start at the ones closest to the tower."

He nodded as they headed off, traversing the wreckage. Occasionally they encountered a few civilians or C-Sec officers but the way was unobstructed for the most part.

"What's up with him?" Nihlus asked as they found themselves out of earshot of Tom as they climbed over a particularly large piece of Sovereign. "He's awfully quiet..."

Kira shrugged. "He hooked up with Tali and he thinks I don't know. He's fretting over how I'll react."

"Why don't you just tell him?"

She grinned at him. "Because this is more fun."

He shook his head. "You're terrible."

"You know you love me," She countered, shocking him a little before he realised that it was just a phrase. "Now help me up."

He nodded, helping her up by her arm. She stumbled a little as she climbed up the broken structure. He put his arms out to steady her, resting them on her sides. She narrowed her eyes at the movement, frowning.

"Why is... this feels familiar..."

_I lied_.

She snapped her eyes up to meet his as she remembered what had been bugging her all day. He hadn't just been trying to show her that she was clinging too hard to the past when he had shown interest, he had actually meant it. But he thought that she didn't feel the same way. Shepard had been right, part of her would _always_ love Caius but another part of her was slowly starting to develop feelings for the turian currently holding her.

_Ah, to hell with it..._ She thought, finally deciding that life was just too damn short.

"You _idiot_..." She groaned before pulling him closer by the cowl, pressing her lips to his mouth plates.

"Wai- _What_?!" He asked as she pulled away. He had never imagined in a million years that she returned his feelings for her in any way.

_And then I just feel guilty for even thinking about caring about someone else..._

Was it possible that she had been talking about him? That she _did_ return his feelings, but was simply too scared to admit it?

She sighed. "You know what? We're trekking through the ruins of the Citadel, looking for my parents who may or may not be dead because the future isn't fixed. We could literally die at any point so I don't intend to live in the past anymore. Or, the future or whatever..."

He raised a browplate. "Just like that?"

She shrugged. "I've been wrestling with this for a while now and... well, Mom's right. I've been clinging so hard to the past because I felt that I should. I didn't feel like I could let go, but I had a while ago. I was just didn't want to admit it because I felt as if I shouldn't have, you know?"

He shook his head. "I have no idea what you're talking about but it sounds as if you're sure."

"Not in the least, but I decided that I shouldn't let that stop me."

"Are you two stuck or something?" Tom called back. "Come on, communications are back up. I know where they are..."

* * *

Kira was glad for having brought Nihlus, knowing that she and Tom wouldn't have otherwise gotten through security. It took almost an hour for them to even get to the right ward after swearing up and down that they weren't reporters.

"I'm sorry, I can't give you any information about Shepard's condition," A nurse told them as Kira rolled her eyes.

"Well, who would you tell?"

"Just her immediate family."

Kira groaned, rolling her eyes at the asari once more.

"Kira and Tom are authorised," Anderson informed the nurse as he arrived.

Kira sighed with relief, smiling at him as the nurse left. "I have never been so glad to see you, Sir. Is she okay?"

He nodded. "Your- Shepard's fine. A little banged up but she'll be discharged in a few days."

Kira smiled with relief at that. "I wasn't sure. Different timelines and all. Plus, you don't have to watch your words. Nihlus knows."

Tom frowned. "Wait, he _knows_?!"

"Oh, shit, did I not tell you?"

He groaned at his sister. "I don't even- Okay, fine, so Mom's fine. What about Dad?"

Anderson sighed. "That's a different story. He got hurt the worst."

"How bad?" Kira asked, her blood chilling.

"He's lost a lot of blood. Synthetic tissue isn't going to cut it anymore. They say that he needs a transplant from a relative, the closer the better, but his father and sister are both too far away."

"Kira, what are we going to do?" Tom asked, the fear trilling through his subharmonics setting her on edge.

Kira swallowed her own fear, although it wasn't for her father's condition. She knew that he would be fine. It was fear for what she knew that she would have to do next to ensure that outcome. "Tom, you'll be a match."

He frowned at her. "I will?"

She nodded. "I... I'll explain but it sounds like this is a time sensitive thing."

"Right... Of course... But, as soon as I'm done, you're explaining _everything_ to me," He growled at her.

She averted her gaze. "I know..."

He left at that, as Nihlus put his hand on Kira's shoulder.

"You going to be okay?"

She shook her head. "I... I don't know. He... Spirits, he's going to hate me for this..."

Nihlus pulled her into his arms at that, ignoring the odd looks people were giving them, simply hoping to offer her some level of comfort. He couldn't deny the way his heart seemed to want to tug its way out of his chest, towards the human woman, as she wrapped her arms around him, holding him tighter. "He's your brother, he'll understand," He reasoned softly, hating the fearful sound her subharmonics were making at him as he attempted to soothe her.

"I hope you're right..."

* * *

Tom entered the waiting room to find it empty, except for his sister. If he hadn't been so mad, he probably would have noticed how she was pale with nerves, holding herself completely still as he entered, but, as it was, he was furious. Kira _knew_ what they were, that much had become obvious, but she had kept this information from him. How long? How long had she known and kept him ignorant?

"So..." He managed, putting all of his effort into keeping his biotics in check. "You were right. I was a match. In fact, they were quite stumped. Apparently, they don't have any record of him having a twin brother. They were also curious to know where I got my genetic enhancements."

Kira nodded, taking a few moments to answer. "Yeah... that would be about right..."

"What do you know?" He asked through gritted teeth, just wanting a straight answer from her for once in his life.

"Everything," She replied, her voice small. She sighed before continuing on. "I guess I should start at the beginning..."

"I guess you should." He had no patience for her evasions or games. He wanted the truth, nothing more, nothing less. Something he wasn't even sure she was capable of.

"I... Remember when we were younger and we started to realise that... Well, that we weren't biologically related?"

"I remember Frank Busey from the year above telling us to try and upset us..." He said, his voice quiet but the story gave his sister courage to continue on with her own.

"Well, I... decided to hack into some records to get some answers. It took me years but I eventually found the truth. Aunt Liara did a good job of covering everything up, but I followed the missing data. It eventually lead me back far enough, to where it all began. What do you know about our grandmother? Our human one?"

Tom shrugged, not sure of the relevance. He just wanted her to get to the point. What _were_ they? Was was _he_? "She died when Mom was little. She was a soldier in the Alliance, right? Intelligence?"

Kira nodded. "Yeah. During the First Contact War, she was part of an Alliance Black Ops program. The idea was to get Alliance soldiers on par with the turians through genetic engineering. Of course, the younger you are when you receive the treatment, the better it takes. Rosa Shepard was in her late twenties. But, they saw an opportunity in her. She was pregnant, although she didn't know it at the time. So, they didn't tell her, giving the treatment to both her and her unborn child."

"Mom?"

Kira nodded. "What, you thought blood red hair was a natural genetic trait?" She joked but Tom didn't so much as flutter his mandibles.

"So, what does this have to do with us?"

She sighed. "That Black Ops program was what later became Cerberus..."

"So?" He wanted the truth, not a history lesson.

"So, we're skipping ahead. You want the whole story, don't you?"

He gave a frustrated sound that was a cross between a sigh and a growl before nodding. He may not want to wait for answers, but also didn't want half-baked truths. If he was going to know, he wanted to _know_. No more being kept in the dark like some kid who's too young to understand. "Yes, I want to know everything."

"So, once Grandma knew what they did, she was careful to keep Mom away from the Alliance, letting them blackmail her into more and more dangerous missions until she and her husband were killed. What the Alliance didn't count on was our Great-Grandmother being such a bad-ass. She single-handedly managed to stop the Alliance from getting their hands on Mom when she was young. After she died, it was just luck that kept her out of their hands. Until, of course, she ended up in the hospital with biotic exhaustion. At that point, she joined up, exceeding all of the Alliance's expectations for her. They never told her what they had done."

Tom folded his arms, clearly getting frustrated by how long it was taking her to get to the point. But if she was going to tell him the truth, she was going to do it properly. Maybe then he would have an easier time of it than she had had, although she doubted it.

"Imagine how pissed off Cerberus was when she got killed by Collectors..."

Tom frowned. "So, that's why they brought her back?"

Kira shrugged. "It definitely played a part. They even updated their work, made her stronger, faster, and less resistant to dextro amino acids. But then she put a spanner in the works once more, refusing to work with them anymore after she blew up the Collector base. At that point the Illusive Man decided to simply start from scratch, although he had seen that Shepard and Vakarian, as a team, were _exactly_ the kind of operatives he needed.

"So, he started up a cloning facility during the Reaper War. The idea was to perfect the genetic engineering that they had used on the original Shepard, creating stronger, better versions of Shepard and Vakarian that could take on the originals. They even figured that if they could give Shepard Vakarian's marksmanship, and Vakarian, Shepard's biotics, they could be damn near unstoppable. Raised by Cerberus, of course. It took them numerous... _tries_. They made clone after clone and... _discarded_ them when they realised that they weren't exactly perfect."

Tom's skin paled beneath his plates at that, realising where it was headed. "How many... _attempts_ did it take for them to perfect the process?"

She shook her head. "They never did. The last pair were close. The Vakarian clone was perfect. Improved skills as well as biotic potential more powerful than any turian before him. The problem was that the clones were grown in pairs. Designed to work together perfectly. If one wasn't perfect, both were terminated. The Vakarian clone was better than they had hoped for but... the Shepard one, while she had increased strength, dexterity, and intelligence - even more so than the previous clones - they realised that they had gone too far, changed too much, and, no matter how much eezo they pumped into her, she never developed any biotic potential. They were scheduled for termination as a result. However, they, and the facility, were abandoned when they discovered that the Normandy was inbound. This was about a year after the Reaper War had ended. Mom and Dad searched the facility and found us, deciding to take us in and raise us as their own. They never told us because... well, how do you tell a kid that? But I found out anyway when I was thirteen... after I came back home, Mom let me decide whether or not to tell you and... after what it did to me, I just _couldn't_..."

"So you decided to _keep it from me_?!" He yelled, pacing the floor.

Kira flinched a little from his words, otherwise not moving from her spot. "What else could I do?"

"You should have _told me_! Spirits, Kira! What in the hell gave you the _right_ to decide what I should and shouldn't know?!"

"I was _thirteen_! I thought I was protecting you..."

"Yeah, well, you thought wrong," He countered, bitterly. "You're not thirteen anymore, Kira! You _kept_ making this decision, even when you knew it was wrong! Don't kid yourself, you were only looking out for you. That's all you ever do."

"_Tom_..." She pleaded, but he shook his head.

"No, Kira. I'm done. I'm through with you and your selfish bullshit. Even if you found a way home... I wouldn't go. I'd rather stay here. At least here I know where I stand..." He left the room at that.

"_Tom!_" She called after him, but he didn't turn back.

She didn't know what to do. She was too numb to even cry. She'd finally done it, she'd chased away the only family she had left.

She was alone.

She left the hospital silently, her tactical cloak active, not wanting anyone to follow her. She just...

She wanted to shoot something. Anything.

She stopped wandering as soon as she realised that she had made her way to the docks, looking around, trying to decide what to do next.

That was when a particular transport caught her eye.

**Omega**.

That seemed as good a place as any to find something to shoot, she figured...

* * *

"Tom! There you are... Tom, slow down..." Tali called as she ran up to the furious turian, eventually putting herself in front of him so that he stopped in his tracks. She had gone to meet him at the hospital, to see if Garrus and Shepard were okay, only to find him storming off. She had never seen Tom seem so... _angry_. She wondered what in the hell had happened to make him like this, her heart aching at the sight of him hurting. "Tom, what is it?"

He shook his head. "Kira didn't... She knew all along and she didn't tell me. _Thirteen years_, Tali! Thirteen years, she knew and lied to me."

She placed her hand on his mandible, hoping to calm him. "Tom, what did she know?"

"That I'm just some fucking experiment..." He spat, confusing her further.

"Tell me what's wrong, my love."

His heart melted as she called him 'my love', pulling him from his anger as his sub-harmonics started to trill with sorrow. He leant against the nearest wall, sliding down so that he came to sit on the floor as she sat next to him.

"Ever wonder why I'm such a strong biotic?"

Tali shrugged a little, trying to remain calm and collected, but it was difficult. She had never seen him look so defeated. "It crossed my mind."

"I wondered. Every moment since my biotics appeared when I was eleven... I would have figured 'good genes', but I knew Mom couldn't really be my biological mother. Although, I guess if they used her as a template for my biotics..."

"A template? Tom, what is it? What did you find out?"

He sighed. "I'm just a shadow, Tali. Just a... _clone_. I'm a clone of my dad. How fucked up is that?"

She frowned, digesting his words. "A clone? Wait..." She regarded his features carefully for a moment as she realised what he meant. What he and Kira had been keeping from everyone. "Wait is... Are you Garrus' son?"

Tom sighed, averting his gaze. He knew he was a terrible liar. And, he didn't want to be like his sister. He didn't want to keep things from those closest to him. "Could you not tell him? That's an awkward conversation I _really_ would like to avoid..."

Her frown refused to lift at his admission. "Wait... if your mother couldn't be your mother and she's a biotic..." She gasped. "_Shepard's_ your mother!"

He sighed. "Again, I _really_ would like to avoid that awkward conversation..."

She smiled. "I _knew_ they liked each other."

"Wait, this doesn't bother you?"

She couldn't help but widen her smile at the hope in his tone. Finding out this information had clearly thrown his worldview completely off kilter but she was determined to show him that things were still the same. Her feelings for him were the same. "I'll try really hard to think about the fact that you're my best friend's son," She told him, jokingly.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Mrs Robinson," He joked back, finally smiling back at her.

She shook her head. "I don't know what that means, but I can guess... Anyway, I don't think I'll have any trouble sleeping as long as you're sleeping alongside me," She told him, a little sheepishly.

He pressed his forehead to hers through her faceplate. "Spirits, I love you so much..."

She was about to reply when she, instead, paused, a slightly disturbing thought striking her. "Wait, do you know me in the future?"

"I think I met you once when I was a toddler or something but, otherwise, no." He couldn't lie, but at least he could evade.

"Okay, just checking that this wasn't creepy... I mean, it might still be, but I can live with it. Because, I love you too. More than anything..."

* * *

"You up yet, sleepyhead?"

Garrus groaned, his head pounding. He opened his eyes slowly, finding his room empty except for Nihlus.

"How long was I out?" He asked, his voice rough.

"A few days," His friend replied.

Garrus frowned, before bolting upright, remembering the events leading up to the blast. "Wait, Sophia, is she-"

"She's fine, Garrus. In fact, she hasn't left your bedside since she got up. Anderson had to practically drag her away a few hours ago to answer some questions for the Council."

Garrus tried to not let his subharmonics give away how that statement made his heart jump to his throat. "So, erm... what's been happening?"

"Well, I suppose congratulations are in order. Thanks to you taking down Saren, the Council have decided to promote you to full Spectre status."

"_I_ didn't take down Saren. If anything, it was all Shepard."

Nihlus sighed. "Garrus, you know that the Council won't give her any credit if they can avoid it..."

"Even if it was all her?"

"She's a human, Garrus. They don't want to give them any more political clout than they have to."

"So, I get a promotion and she gets swept under the rug?"

Nihlus shook his head. "Only you could turn a promotion into a bad thing. Look, Shepard gets it and she understands."

He nodded, not happy but knowing that ranting at Nihlus wouldn't do anything. He would save that for the Council themselves. "So, what else?"

Nihlus shrugged. "Mostly everyone's been helping with the cleanup of the Citadel while the Council tries to figure out exactly what happened."

"We _know_ what happened."

"Yeah, well, this _is_ the Council we're talking about. I've given them all of the first-hand accounts that I can but I wasn't there for most of it. Basically, I think they've just been waiting for you to get up."

He sighed. "I'm going to end up stuck in debriefings for the next month, aren't I?"

Nihlus smiled. "Yeah, but they'll probably keep Shepard around too, so it's fine."

Garrus nodded, not even bothering to deny the implication his friend was making. "So, is that it? Everyone's fine and nothing more exciting than political bullshit?"

Nihus sighed, looking more than a little strained as he averted his gaze. "Well... for the most part. But... no one's seen Kira in days."

"She's missing?"

Nihlus nodded.

"Have you asked her brother?"

"Yeah. He said that she'd probably come back on her own but... well, I think they had a fight."

Garrus frowned a little at his friend. "You're worried about her," He observed.

Nihlus shrugged. "Is that so hard to believe? You just woke up and your first thought was of Shepard."

"Wait, so are you two..."

He shook his head. "I don't know... there was _something_ but..."

"But then she left without saying goodbye?"

He sighed. "Yeah... So, what about you and Shepard?"

Garrus looked away at that. "I... don't know what you mean."

"Oh, okay. So, you're still in denial about being in love with a human?"

"I'm not..."

"Yeah, you are. And, just a tip, women don't usually stay by your bedside for days unless they have some kind of feelings for you..."

* * *

Shepard walked into the hospital, more than a little tired. She was sick of the endless questions the Council was putting her through, trying to find fault with her every decision. She desperately wished that Garrus had been there with her to back her up. Honestly, she would just take _awake_. She knew that he was alright and that it was just going to take time but... Seeing him hurt like that...

"Checking in on Garrus?" Tom asked as she approached.

She nodded. "Yeah. Any word from your sister?"

She didn't miss how his mandibles tightened at that. "I wouldn't know..."

"Tom, I've never seen you like this. What did she do?"

He sighed, shaking his head. "She just... Never mind."

"So, I take it you're not going to look for her?"

"She's a big girl, Shepard. She can look after herself."

"That doesn't mean that everyone should just stop caring about whether or not she's okay..."

"It's not my responsibility..."

"_Tom_..."

He shook his head. "No, don't look at me like that..."

She frowned a little. "Like what?"

"Like you're disappointed in me... Shepard, Kira doesn't need me watching her back, she's made that more than clear."

Shepard nodded. "It's not my place to say anything, Tom, but... I feel like if it was you that went missing, she'd go after you."

"She's not missing, she's sulking..." He countered, growling a little.

"So, if you're not going to look for her, what _are_ your plans?"

He sighed. "Tali's got a transport booked back to the Migrant Fleet. I'm going with her. Things are going to be quiet on the Reaper front for a while so there's no real reason for me to stay..."

"Shepard, what are you doing here?" Nihlus asked as he walked up to them.

"I'll give you three guesses. The first two don't count."

"Well, you just missed him. He got discharged."

She gave him an incredulous look. "You mean he woke up and no one told me?!"

"I figured you would have run out of your meetings with the Council and rushed here."

"Well, yeah, but- Damn, how did he get let out so quickly?"

Nihlus shrugged. "Turians are pretty resilient. Shepard, it's fine. Just go and see him."

"I don't... Wouldn't that be weird? Just showing up... I mean..."

Nihlus sighed. "Shepard, when he woke up, the first thing he did was ask for you. _Go and see him_."

* * *

Shepard stood nervously outside the address Nihlus had given her. She had told herself that she would deal with her feelings for him as soon as they had dealt with Saren.

And now they had dealt with him.

She went to ring the doorbell, only to find that it wasn't locked, opening as soon as she approached.

"Garrus?" She called.

"Soph?" He replied, his voice coming from what she figured was the bedroom.

"Your door was open. I didn't mean to just-"

He entered the room, shaking his head. She found her words halted by his shirtless form, her eyes drawn to the bandages across his side.

"It's fine, I shouldn't have left the door open... I was going to see you, in fact. Once you were done with the Council..."

She stepped towards him, her eyes still on his wounds. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "Just a scratch."

"Does it hurt?" She asked, stepping towards him once more, making him feel a little self conscious at his state of undress.

"Ah... no. It's mostly healed now. They were careful to keep me sedated until I could move about without hurting myself..."

"Yeah, they weren't too happy with me moving about so early, either..." She told him, before she realised that she was standing so close that they were almost touching, causing her to blush. "Oh, sorry, am I... I'm invading your personal space, aren't I?" She asked, her blush deepening as she stepped back.

He shook his head, closing the gap between them once more. "I... I don't mind. I trust you, Soph. So, it doesn't bother me to let you get close."

"I guess that's why we work so well together... Although, I guess we're not going to be working together any more..."

His subharmonics seemed to take on a lower, almost sad tone. "Yeah, I guess not..."

"So then, I have no reason to feel guilty about this," She told him, wrapping her arms around his neck, pressing her lips to his mouth plates with as much passion as she could manage - which wasn't an insignificant amount. She had decided not to beat around the bush. He either wanted her, or he didn't. And she'd much rather avoid the awkward situation her subconscious seemed sure a more subtle approach would result in. She knew that Garrus had a habit of over thinking things sometimes, so she just wouldn't give him the chance to think.

After a moment to get over the shock, he responded by pulling her body flush to his, wrapping his arms around her waist, noting how her skin seemed soft, yet firm, beneath her vest. He allowed his mouth to open a little in a moan as her tongue pressed forward. As soon as she touched hers to his own, his knees nearly gave out beneath him.

He sighed as she pulled away. "That was... different."

She grinned at him. "Yeah, I wanted to cut through the awkward chat..."

"You definitely did that..."

She grinned at the growl in his tone as it reverberated through her, pressing her lips to his neck. "Good different?"

"_Very_..." He growled as she moved her hands to the sensitive skin of his waist, careful to avoid the bandages. "Spirits, Soph... You have no idea how much I want you..." He admitted, assuming that the feeling must be mutual to a certain degree, turning to trap her between himself and the wall.

Her biotics flared in response to the sudden movement, although not harming him in the least. The blue flames actually felt nice, crackling against his plate. Warm, almost. His thoughts were pulled from the new sensation, however, by her gasping softly. "You're so... _bright_..."

"Bright?" He asked, frowning a little.

"It... erm... if I just went back to kissing you, would you forget I said anything?"

"I might..." He growled, lightly nipping at her neck, sending shivers down her spine as she bit her lip to hold back a moan.

At that point, he decided that she was wearing too many clothes, tugging at her vest. She smiled in response, pulling it over her head. Her grin broadened as the world returned to her this time, confirming that this was, indeed, _real_. He moved his hands to her breasts, his touch a little nervous. "I, erm... you might have to help me out..."

She smiled a little at his awkwardness, undoing her bra. "I take it turian women don't have these?"

"Ah... no..."

"But asari do. So, you've lived on the Citadel for years and you've never looked outside your own species?"

He shrugged a little, gently teasing her breasts, experimentally. "It never really interested me before... well... before you..."

She blushed a little at his admission as he gently lowered his forehead to hers. "Me neither..."

"So, show me..."

She wrapped his hand in hers, gently leading him back into the bedroom so that she could show him just how much she had come to realise that she wanted him in the past few weeks, quickly stripping off her remaining clothes as he did the same, both of them knowing that the other would struggle to help in removing the foreign items.

As soon as she had removed her last item of clothing, she turned to see a fully naked Garrus taking in every inch of her scarred body, clearly liking what he was seeing if his throbbing erection was any indication.

_Cristo, are all turians built like __**that**__? If so, they might possibly be the galaxy's most underutilised sexual resource because... __**damn**__..._ She thought as she pushed him back against the bed, moving between his legs, her hands wandering up his thighs, coming to stop at his thick cock, starting to stroke it gently, earning her a lustful growl.

He responded by cupping her arse in his hands, pulling her body closer to his as he lowered his head, quickly putting his _agile_ tongue to good use, quickly finding just how sensitive her breasts were as she moaned in response, halting her work on his cock. He was about to object when she instead positioned herself so that the tip of his member was at her entrance, giving him a questioning look, as if searching for his permission.

He responded by bucking his hips upwards, burying his cock deep inside her. He was repaid with a pleasurable gasp as she took a moment to adjust to his size. He was struck by how _different_ she felt, so tight, her muscles seemingly drawing him inwards.

"_Spirits, Soph..._" He growled, enjoying the way she seemed to shudder with pleasure at the sound of his voice.

She lowered her lips to his ear, steadying her weight on the edge of cowl his cowl as she leant forward. "_Fuck me, Garrus_..." She moaned.

He needed no further invitation, flipping them over so that he had her pinned beneath him, her biotics flaring once more at the sudden movement, engulfing them both as he began pumping his thick length in and out of her.

She gasped as the edges of his groinal plating hit her clit, sending shockwaves through her, peeking Garrus' curiosity.

"Oh, what's this?" The growl in his subharmonics only made her hotter as he moved his hand down, just above his cock, the pad of his finger quickly finding her nub.

"Ah... _Careful!_" She gasped. "That's really sensitive..."

He nodded in understanding, seemingly quite happy with his discovery as he began moving his hips once more as he simultaneously teased her clit.

It wasn't long before she found herself clutching at his bedsheets, her breathing shallow and rapid as pressure seemed to build up through her body. "Garrus... I'm so close..." She pleaded. To her delight, he responded by slamming into her, quickening his pace until she was shuddering beneath him, crying his name as she came around him. The feel of her clenching around him was more than enough to push him over the edge with her, spilling into her.

Once he was done, he rolled over to lie next to her so that he was no longer at risk of crushing her beneath him.

"Where have you been all my life?" Sophia asked when she finally regained her ability to speak, stretching out next to him as she grinned.

His own grin broadened at that. "Opposite end of the battlefield..."

"All that time wasted _fighting_ each other."

He laughed a little at that.

"What?" She asked.

"It just hit me how ridiculous this is..." He trailed his hand down her side, causing her to shudder a little beneath his touch. "How long did we spend trying to kill each other? And now..."

Her eyes searched his, trying to decide if he was regretting anything that had just happened, as she lightly traced his colony marks with the tips her fingers. "I think I prefer this to the fighting."

"_Definitely_," He agreed.

They were interrupted by the sound of his omni-tool beeping.

"It's the Council," He groaned, shifting so that he was closer to her once more, not really wanting this to end.

"What do they want?"

"My account of the battle against Saren... Don't worry, I plan on setting them straight. This was _your_ mission, I was just along for the ride."

She shook her head, lacing her fingers through his with her idle hand. "Garrus, we're a team. Partners and equals. _We_ took down Saren."

He pulled her closer to him at that. "Spirits, Soph... I wish we could just keep on working together forever."

She shrugged. "Me too. But, we can still spend our leave together. If you want to, that is..."

He nodded. "I can't think of anything I want more," He admitted.

She bit her lip a little, looking a little sheepish. "How much trouble are we going to be in? If anyone finds out, I mean..."

He shook his head. "I don't care... You're worth it, Soph. You've always been worth it..."

She grinned at him. "You've always been worth it, too..."

* * *

Sophia was so tempted to join Garrus in the shower that it was unreal, but she held herself back, knowing that, if she did, they'd never make it to the Council in time. Maybe ever. So, she had showered quickly before him, now finishing getting dressed as she fought the urge to return.

She was pulled from her thoughts by her omni-tool beeping at her, frowning a little at the ID.

"Tommy?" She asked, activating audio only.

"_Hey, little cous_."

"Something wrong? It must be costing a you fortune to call realtime from Earth..."

"_Nothing's wrong, I just wanted to congratulate you on taking down that rogue Spectre_."

"You heard about that?" She was sure that the Council had been eager to keep her involvement under wraps.

"_Are you kidding? The Alliance is holding you up as the best of humanity, even more so than before_."

"Urgh... Sometimes I think Mama had the right idea, working intelligence. I _hate_ the attention..."

Her older cousin laughed a little on the other end of the line. "_You going to come home anytime soon_?"

"Home?"

"_Soph, this is your house. I'm just looking after it for you. Come on, you have to have some leave coming up_."

She felt uncomfortable at that. It wasn't _her_ house, it was her grandmother's. There was a reason she never went home... "I, erm... As much as I want to see you, I've got stuff going on here..."

"'_Stuff_'?"

"Yeah, you know... _stuff_."

"_Soph, is that a shower I hear in the background_? _Are you with someone?_"

Her face burned bright red. "No," She responded, a little too quickly.

"_Alright, alright, if you don't want to tell me... There was something I wanted to ask you, anyway_."

"Sure."

"_Do you know where Nonna kept the old photos of Mama and Zia Rosa_?"

Sophia found herself caught a little off guard by the question. "I don't know... have you checked the loft?"

"_A little. It mostly seems filled with... well, I'm pretty sure most of these files are the kind that I can be killed for looking at..._"

"Wait, are you telling me that our grandmother had top secret, classified Alliance files stashed in the attic?"

"_No, I'm not saying anything of the kind. Especially not on an unsecure channel. I'm just saying, I'd rather not pry..._"

"I... I'll try to swing by on my next leave and take a look. I haven't seen you or Carmen in, well..."

"_Since she was born_?"

Sophia felt bad at that. It always felt a little weird, being around family. Once she had 'resurfaced', Tommy had made an effort to help her out but it had just felt too weird. She wasn't used to _family_ or being close to anyone. "Yeah, I guess... Sorry. I've just been..."

"_Busy_?"

"I guess I use that excuse a lot, huh?"

"_I get it, Sophia. You're busy saving the galaxy. I just sometimes worry that you're on your own... I still feel bad that I couldn't do more for you when we were younger..._"

"Tommy, it's fine. And, I'm not on my own. I've got plenty of friends."

"_That a friend of yours in the shower_?"

"See, I _knew_ you wouldn't just let that go..." She countered, hoping that he didn't ask anything more about Garrus. That could be awkward.

"Soph, are you almost ready? We're gonna be late for the Council meeting." As if on cue, Garrus' voice called through from the the room.

She responded immediately, before she had time to register that the line was still open. "Yeah, Garrus, I'm already ready."

"_Wait, __**Garrus**__?!_" Her cousin asked from the other end of the line. "_Please tell me that's not, as in 'Vakarian'..._"

"Tom, if you're just going to judge-"

"_Soph, I didn't say that. If anything, I'm not surprised..._"

"Wait, what?!"

"_I learnt a long time ago to not be surprised when it came to you. Plus, I don't think I have any room to judge when it comes to choosing who to be with..._"

She found herself blushing once more at that. "Tommy, it's not the same thing. I mean, it's not as if I'm gonna marry him or anything..."

She could have sworn that she could hear his smirk on the other end of the line. "_Not yet..._"

"Will you just- I have to go. I'll try and get home next time I have leave, okay?"

"_Alright. See ya, cous._"

"See you..."

Only a few moments after she had ended the call, Garrus headed back into the room, fully dressed in his armour, grinning at her.

She couldn't help but grin back. "Honestly, I think I prefered you out of your armour," She joked.

He pulled her closer at that, making a noise that sounded more than a little like contented purring. "I could say the same for you."

"I'm not in my armour," She pointed out. "You seem happy."

"Is there a reason I shouldn't be?"

"Not at all, _Spectre_ Vakarian."

He grinned at that. "You know, I get the feeling things are going to start looking up for us..."

"I think you might be right..."


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Fairly short chapter but a fairly fast update. ^^**

**Thanks once more go to everyone who read this, with double thanks to everyone who follows and reviews, and triple special thanks to Amidamaru88 and shantie1984 for the awesome reviews! You guys rock! ^^**

**Hope you enjoy! ^^**

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen - I'll Be Back**

"_It's a cloning facility?!" Shepard asked as they moved throughout the complex, a little disbelieving._

"_Question is: what are they cloning?" Garrus replied, more than a little disquieted by the whole affair. The abandoned facility was more than a little creepy, reminding him of the time he had accompanied his wife through the bowls of a dormant Reaper..._

_She shook her head as they made their way into the next room. However, she found that she was almost sick at the sight of what lay ahead._

"_Waste disposal..." She whispered hollowly as they saw piles of discarded corpses, most not older than a year in age. "God, what have these sick bastards been trying to do?" She asked as they made their way deeper into the facility._

_They finally came across a room that looked like a central lab. More corpses littered the way. She tried to avert her eyes but her military training was too ingrained, scanning for any and all details. She tried to ignore most of the facts she was compiling, but some rose to the surface. Like the fact that the corpses appeared to be from a variety of different species._

"_Shepard, I'm picking up lifesigns."_

_She readied her pistol in response, her biotics crackling across her skin. "Where?" She asked, fully prepared to kill the bastards responsible for this mess._

"_Over there," He told her, indicating to the underside of a table, frowning a little._

_Shepard moved over to confirm what he saying, only to find herself confronted by two babies who couldn't be more than a year old. A human girl and a turian boy._

"_Who are they?" She asked softly as she picked them up, figuring that they were clones, although she didn't know who of._

"_That's not..." Garrus muttered as he access the facility's database. "According to this... They're us."_

_Shepard frowned as she placed the two children down on the table in front of her. "They're not us," She said. "Look, she's got blue eyes and he's got dark ones."_

"_Side-effects of the cloning process according to this. It says that they used our DNA as templates and then made adjustments to physical skills, intelligence... They were trying to create Shepard and Vakarian 2.0," He told her, becoming more and more disquieted by by the minute._

"_So, those bodies..." She trailed off._

_Garrus nodded, understanding. "Were earlier attempts. The whole project was sacked and these two were scheduled for termination before we showed up."_

_She frowned, looking at the children in front of her. "But they're so small... How could anyone..." She muttered as Garrus downloaded the facility's archive before wiping it clean._

"_Come on, Soph. Let's take them back to the Normandy. We can decide what to do with them there."_

_She nodded, although she was still frowning. "There's no one to deal with them... Everywhere is still overrun with orphans from the Reaper War," She pointed out._

"_Soph, what are you saying?"_

_She shrugged as she picked up the small turian boy. "He looks just like you," She told him softly as he picked up the small human girl._

"_And she looks just like you," He countered, mandibles fluttering in an almost unnoticeable movement, causing her to bite her lip a little._

"_We're kind of their parents."_

_He nodded._

"_Yeah... I guess we are..."_

* * *

Kira indicated to the bartender for another drink, having realised that she was out. Maybe she shouldn't be drinking, given that she was in an inherently hostile environment - especially given that she'd spent the last few months making a name for herself by hunting down mercs - but, at that moment, her omni-tool beeped at her, making the argument for her to flood her system with more mind-numbing ethanol all the more appealing.

She would have just thrown it away, if it wasn't one of the only pieces of technology she possessed from her own time. Thankfully, that meant that she could easily stop it from being hacked or traced but people could still get messages through.

Not that she had read any.

Most of the messages had come from either Nihlus or Shepard, with Anderson and Garrus also making a few attempts. She'd even received one from Tali, for whatever reason. But she couldn't bring herself to read them. She needed time away, to deal with everything. Part of her hated herself for moving on so quickly, for becoming so comfortable in the past. She had allowed this alternate version of Shepard to step into the hole her mother had left thirteen years ago and, even worse, she had started to fall for someone...

Someone who wasn't Cai.

Maybe she didn't deserve to be happy. Maybe it was karma for what she did to Tom. Regardless, she wasn't going to read the messages. Maybe one day she'd be able to face them, but she just couldn't right now.

"Oh good, you're not dead. That should make things easier..."

Kira rolled her eyes, turning to glare at her father as he approached the bar. "I gotta say, you weren't exactly at the top of the list of people who I thought would find me. Although I suppose it shouldn't be a shock. Apparently all the universe needs are anchors to correct itself..."

"Well, at least I know it's definitely you," He replied before sitting next to her.

"So, why have you found me?"

"Well, in order to give the Council the whole story, we had to fill them in on the whole time travelling thing."

She raised her eyebrow. "And they believed you?"

He shrugged. "Not exactly, but it was enough to convince them that we should probably keep an eye on you and Tom."

Kira averted her gaze, not really wanting to think of her brother but also finally admitting to herself that she was both worried and curious about what had happened in the months since she had fled the Citadel. "Who's keeping an eye on Tom?"

"No one. He agreed to check in regularly with the Council and to stay out of their affairs. Last I heard, he was with Tali back at the Migrant Fleet."

Kira nodded, deciding that she didn't want any more information. Tom had made it clear that he wanted nothing more to do with her, so she should respect that. "So, your first real, solo, Spectre job was to be sent after me? Who did you piss off?"

Garrus laughed a little at that, shaking his head. "No one. Although, I did receive a poorly veiled warning from the turian councillor about getting too close to Sophia. I wouldn't be surprised if this was some kind of convoluted attempt to separate us for a while."

"Why? It's not as if you guys were doing anything that might reflect badly..." She trailed off as his subharmonics began to trill with embarrassment. "Wait, you two hooked up, didn't you?!"

"Regardless of what may or may not have happened between Shepard and I, the Council decided that I would be the best choice for this task, despite Nihlus petitioning pretty hard for the job..."

Kira decided to ignore the jab about Nihlus, knowing that he was just trying to get her to stop asking about him and Shepard. "Let me guess, she finally decided that she was sick of dancing around her feelings for you and you guys got together not long after I left. You had a month or so of kind-of dating while kind-of keeping it a secret where you were technically together, but you never really defined your relationship. And then the Normandy got sent to deal with Geth clean-up and you're still not really sure where you stand, all you know is that you're in love with her and that you should have told her before you left the Citadel. Have I got that right?"

He went slack-jawed at that, just staring at her. "Okay, how in the hell do you know that?"

She smirked at that. She knew because it had been exactly what had happened in her timeline, except instead of the Normandy being shipped off, Shepard had been confined by the Alliance for working with Cerberus. Things had just been shifted forward. "Future girl, remember? Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got places to be."

"So I've heard, _Valkyrie_."

She shrugged. "Look, I have no intention of interfering with council business, okay? So, just leave me be."

He sighed, shaking his head. "Everyone's worried about you. Why don't you return to the Normandy?"

"Not _everyone_."

"Nihlus certainly is. Hell, I know Soph definitely is. Do they not count?"

She shook her head. "They _shouldn't_. Garrus, I don't belong here. I can't just... I can't pretend that I do."

"So, you're just going to piss off every merc gang until you get killed?"

She shrugged. "What can I say? I learnt from the best." She activated her cloak, disappearing into the crowd, leaving him to sigh. He couldn't just leave her here. He would try to convince her to rejoin Shepard on the Normandy, he decided. _Maybe the Council would even let him stick around to keep an eye on her_, he thought, before sighing once more. Kira had been right. He'd been too wrapped up in the newness of their relationship, not wanting to jinx anything, that he had never told Soph that he loved her.

His eyes drifted to the news report on the screen behind the bar, his heart falling out from under him, leaving him hollow, as he registered what the report was telling him.

The Normandy had been attacked.

Shepard hadn't made it out.

_He should have told her how he felt..._

* * *

Tom awoke, his senses at full alert. Something was _wrong_. He opened his eyes, only to find exactly what had been setting his predatory senses on edge.

He was being watched.

He groaned, pulling the quarian beside him by the waist so that she was pressed close to him. "You're doing the staring thing again..."

She smiled at him, a little sheepishly. "I can't help it. You're so peaceful when you're asleep."

He couldn't help but smile back at her, admiring her features. It had been months since he had followed her home, enough time for her immune system to get used to him. As long as they were within the sterile room, she no longer had to wear her suit around him. Although, once they left the room, he too had to wear his full suit of armour and helmet. Not that it bothered him too much. It was a small price to pay to be with her.

He frowned a little as he gazed upon her body, only to see a fleck or two of blood around her collar. "Are you okay?"

She sighed, knowing that he hated it when he hurt her. "It's fine. You just... you did that thing where you nip a little too hard on my neck. I'm not complaining, but you have been more prone to breaking skin the past couple of days. I honestly can't even feel it."

His subharmonics trilled with a little embarrassment at that, the skin beneath his plates flushing a dark blue. "Yeah... it's getting harder and harder to resist the instinct to... well..."

She gave him a questioning look. "To what?"

"To... well, to mark you..." He admitted, a little sheepishly.

"You want to mark me?" She asked softly, not quite believing it. "As in, bond with me?"

"I know, right? It sounds ridiculous... I mean, we've only been together for a few months but... Tali, these have been the best few months of my entire life and I've never felt this way about anyone before... I just... I guess... I'm in love with you, completely and utterly."

"You're right, that does sound ridiculous. But... a good ridiculous..."

"A 'good' ridiculous?"

"Yeah... Tom, I've never felt this way about anyone before, either. I mean, I've had people that I care about but I _really_ liked you from the moment you helped me fight off Saren's men. More so than I ever thought possible. I love you, Thomas Shepard-Vakarian. I can't imagine being with anyone else..."

He stared at her, not quite believing what he was hearing. "This is crazy, right? Even thinking about this is insane..."

"Completely," She agreed, grinning at him.

"Tali'Zorah vas Neema?" He asked, grinning back.

"Yes?"

"Will yo-"

He was interrupted mid sentence by the sound of the comm. "Tali? Tom?"

"Yes, Auntie Raan?" Tali asked, trying to keep the frustration from her voice. Tom just smiled at her, trailing his fingers up and down her side.

"I... There's something you two have to be told."

They both frowned a little at the strain in her voice, wondering just what it was that she had to tell them.

"If it's important, you might just want to tell us over the comm. It's going to take us a while to get ready," Tali responded.

They heard Raan sigh across the comm. "Alright, then. There was an... incident."

Tom sat up quickly, as he quickly thought to the date. "The Normandy?" He asked, prompting Tali to sit up next to him, her frown deepening.

"Yes," Raan answered, clearly unnerved by his foreknowledge. "It was attacked. We just received word."

"Did everybody make it out?" Tali asked, her voice small with fear.

"For the most part. However, some servicemen from the lower decks, Navigator Pressley and... and Shepard, didn't make it..."

Tali gasped, bringing her hand her to her face before turning to face Tom, searching for any sign of distress. "Thank you for telling us, Auntie Raan," Tali managed before turning off the comm. "Tom, are you okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah... I'm fine, Tali. Really."

She frowned. "Tom, this is your _mother_ we're talking about. You don't have to put on a brave face..."

He shook his head. "Exactly, Tali. She's my mother. This all happened in my timeline, too."

Her frown deepened once more. "Wait, so she's not dead?"

He sighed. "It's... complicated. Technically, yes, she's dead. She's just not going to stay that way."

"Tom, you're not making any sense."

"Remember what I told you? About Cerberus?"

She nodded.

"They're going to make an effort to recover her, putting massive resources into bringing her back. It'll take two years and billions of credits, but they'll manage it."

"So... she's dead, but it's only temporary?"

"Yeah. At least, I hope..." She could hear the tinge of fear in his subharmonics. "I can't... guarantee that things will turn out as they did in my timeline. At least, not from here."

"Tom, what are you saying?"

He sighed. "Someone has to make sure that things turn out as they should, Tali."

She folded her arms, all too aware of how he had been shying away from her touch since he had heard. "By 'someone', you mean you, right?"

He nodded. "I'm the only one who can."

"Then I'll come with you," She said, simply.

He shook his head. "Tali, you know what Cerberus is like. Convincing them to work with _me_ will be tough enough."

"_Tom_..." She couldn't continue on. She didn't have an argument and they both knew it.

"Tali, I have to do this and I have to do it alone... I can't drag you into this, no matter how indirectly. It's too dangerous..."

She pulled him close at that, burying her head in the crook of his neck. "I don't want to say goodbye..."

He nodded. "Me neither. I... I love you Tali, but I won't ask you to wait for me. That's not fair to you."

"I love you too, Tom. I wouldn't mind waiting..." She admitted.

He lowered his forehead to hers, his subharmonics trilling with sorrow as he noticed the tears lacing her eyes. "Tali, I promise that I'll see you again but... it will be years from now. I'll always love you but, I won't hold you to any promises..."

"What if I want to make them anyway?"

"Then make them when we see each other again."

She sighed. "Dammit, Tom... I hate goodbyes..."

He gave her the turian equivalent of a weak smile. "Me too... But I _have_ to do this..."

She nodded, although tears were starting to streak down her, otherwise composed, face. "I know, Tom. Family comes first. If it was my father, I would be doing the same."

Tom looked away. "Speaking of... erm... keep an eye on your father. He's starting to experiment with Geth technology and... it might not end well..."

She nodded. "Alright, I will. He... He likes you, you know. He's never liked a guy I've been with before..."

"Hopefully, in two years, he'll like me again."

"I know he will..."

* * *

Kira sighed as the woman approached her. She liked killing mercs, but she could do without the gratitude from the people she helped. She didn't need their thanks to validate her work, all it did was make her uncomfortable. One more reason for her to keep wearing the helmet while working.

"Thank you for helping me. What's your name?"

She didn't use her real name. She had been trying to keep quiet so that she wouldn't be found, so even 'Luna' was out of the question. She had almost been tempted by Archangel but now that her father was actually here, she was glad that she hadn't.

"Valkyrie," She told the woman before walking away, disappearing into the shadows. She went to set up her sniper in one of her favourite spots. She usually got at least one save a night without having to move.

It wasn't long after she had set up when she sensed someone behind her. "I assume you've heard?" She asked as Garrus sat down next to her.

"Did you know?" Her heart almost broke at how hollow he sounded.

"Yeah. I knew..."

"Then why didn't you do anything to stop it?" He growled.

"Because... Shepard has a really bad habit of not staying dead."

He gave her an incredulous look. "_What_?!"

"I can't promise anything but... in my timeline, Shepard died and then came back two years later."

"Came back? From the dead?"

"But no promises, okay?"

He nodded. He wanted more answers but he knew that she wouldn't give them. He was simply thankful that there was still hope, that there was a chance that he hadn't lost Soph for good. "Okay... so... I guess you have no intention of leaving here."

She shook her head. "You wanted to become a Spectre because you wanted to fight injustice without all the red tape, right?"

He frowned a little, wondering how she knew that. "Right."

"I was the same way. When I got offered a job, working at a level _above_ the Spectres - we're talking the kind of operative who doesn't exist - I jumped at the chance. But working for the goals of the Council in Council Space... there are people _here_ who need someone to fight for them and the Council sure as hell aren't going to send that help."

"The people here don't need the kind of help the Council can send. They need hope."

"Exactly. A symbol. They need someone to show them to stand up for themselves."

"So, that's why you became the Valkyrie?"

She shrugged. "Wasn't my idea. I just borrowed it."

"From _what_? A comic book?"

She smiled a little at that. "I had a theory about that. I think the person I got the idea from, got it from a comic book. Mom always did tease him about being a closet nerd..."

"Wait, teased _who_?"

"My dad," She replied simply, keeping her eyes on the scope in front of her.

"Tom never really mentioned your father."

Kira shrugged. "He was just trying really hard to not let anything slip about the future. We were both actually pretty close with our dad," She stopped herself from saying anything more, not wanting to reveal the truth. "So, how'd you find me?"

"It wasn't easy. But when we started to get reports of a vigilante known as Valkyrie cleaning up Omega. Well, it was a human term and by all reports she was an excellent sniper and hand-to-hand specialist. I figured only a certain number of people fit that description. Although I have been wondering one thing?"

"What?"

"Why Valkyrie? What does it mean?"

She looked a little sheepish at that. "Valkyries were creatures of Norse myth that decided which soldiers lived, and which died. It seemed... fitting."

"So, do I get a cool codename?"

She smiled a little. "I was thinking Archangel. What do you think?"

"I think... that we're on exactly the same page."


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Okay, so I know that this is another short chapter but adding anything more would have just been for the sake of it. These interim chapters are shorter just because the story has gone from a large ensemble cast of main characters with many story threads, down to just Kira, Tom and Garrus. That'll change as we get into ME2, but for now I'll keep the updates frequent to make up for it. ^^**

**Thanks go out again to everyone who reads this, with special thanks to everyone who has followed and favourited, and super awesome mega thanks to Zombie Pixel and 1054SS325MP for the brilliant reviews. You guys are awesome. ^^**

**Hope you enjoy! ^^**

* * *

**Chapter 14 - ****When This Baby Hits 88 Miles Per Hour... You're Gonna See Some Serious Shit**

_Garrus awoke to find himself, not in the bed that he had set up at his base on Omega, but in a large double bed, his arms wrapped around the woman he had desperately been missing for the last several months. Although something was different. It took him a few moments to realise the blue markings across her face._

_**His**__ markings._

_He was hallucinating, he figured. He had to be. He had finally cracked under the pressures of Omega, dreaming up a fictional world where Sophia was not just alive, but his bondmate._

_He was pulled from his thoughts, however, by the fact that she was no longer lying still, rather tossing and turning, her biotics flaring at random, although not hurting him. He knew that she occasionally had nightmares, their short time together had taught him as much. Side effects of the Prothean beacon, she told him, shrugging it off in the way that she usually did if she felt something wasn't important. He had always found it strange. Turians didn't dream, so to think that she gave over so much of her sleep to such distressing images that felt so real to her..._

"_Soph? Come on, Soph. Wake up," He found himself telling her gently, the words falling from his mouth without prompt._

_She bolted upright, gasping for air. "Garrus?"_

"_I'm here, it's okay."_

_She nodded, distractedly. "Sorry. Silly humans with their nightmares. It must get annoying to have me keep waking you up."_

_He put his arms around her, gently nuzzling her neck in response, earning him a smile. "I don't mind. You haven't had a nightmare in a long time..."_

_She sighed a little at the opening he had left her, before nodding. "I was... reliving when the Normandy went down..."_

_He frowned a little. When the Normandy went down? He couldn't deny that he was confused, but he kept talking regardless. As if the information didn't surprise him. "What prompted that?"_

_She raised an eyebrow, giving him a look of grim amusement. "Your daughter asked me what happens when people die and I... I struggled to answer her."_

_He let his subharmonics trill a little with amusement, although he felt as if it should be shock. His __**daughter**__? "__**My**__ daughter?"_

_She nodded. "Yeah. When she asks tricky questions, she's your daughter," She told him, finally smiling for real._

"_So, what did you tell her?"_

_She shrugged. "I sort of evaded the question. Garrus, you're supposed to be able to tell kids something reassuring. Like, that you go to heaven or that it's just like going to sleep. Not that it's terrifying and painful and then just the never-ending dark..."_

_Garrus felt his heart constrict, thinking of what it was like for her to go down with the Normandy, something he had been avoiding thinking about. Mostly because he couldn't help but blame himself for not being there. If only so that she hadn't been alone. However, he simply sighed in response. "Did you ever consider, you know, lying?"_

_She shook her head. "No. The last thing I want to do is lie to them..."_

"_Which is why I love you, but Soph, what are you going to tell them when they start asking questions about... well, them?"_

_She sighed, curling up to him. "Evade until they're old enough to understand. Garrus, I still haven't entirely come to terms with Cerberus messing with my genes. I can't even imagine what knowing where they came from will do to those two..."_

"_Soph, it shouldn't matter __**how**__ they came to be here, just that they are loved and that they are our children in every sense of the word." __**Their**__ children? Garrus couldn't help but feel shocked as the words fell from his mouth. His subconscious really had some explaining to do, he figured._

_She smiled a little. "You're right, it shouldn't matter. But I still think that it will..."_

* * *

Garrus frowned a little as he awoke. Had he been thinking of Shepard? He definitely felt as if she was at the forefront of his mind - not an unusual feeling, sure, but also not one he was used to waking up with. He remembered Soph telling him that humans 'dreamt' when they slept after she had woken up one night thrashing, throwing biotic energy around at random.

Whatever had happened while he slept, it had his mind fixed on Sophia in a way he had been trying to avoid since he had learnt of her death. As much as Kira had told him that she was being revived, he couldn't help his pessimism from occasionally taking over.

Although, Kira had been right. Shooting mercs _was_ a good distraction. And he had to admit that he liked working with her. Her tactics were almost identical to his own, with a few adaptations here and there. Although, he knew that she had trained with the Hierarchy, something he still struggled to wrap his head around, which would explain some of her tactics. But some were a little _too_ close to his own.

He sighed, shaking his head. He had agreed with Soph when she had taken the attitude of 'I don't want to know' towards the future. So, he refused to speculate. There was no point, anyway, since there was no way Kira would let anything slip.

He found his curiosity about the future fading along with the last dregs of whatever had happened while he had been asleep. He decided to simply let it fall to the back of his mind as he got up. He didn't really want to think too much about Sophia. It simply hurt too much.

* * *

"No."

Garrus gave Kira an incredulous look as she stood with her arms folded. In the last few months, she had happily backed down to let him lead their efforts against the merc gangs of Omega - he was the Spectre, after all, she had pointed out. Although, she had never been afraid of voicing her opinion, but today was the first time that she was outright putting her foot down.

"No? What do you mean '_no_'?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Do you need a definition or-"

"No, Kira, I need a legitimate reason. Not just 'I don't like the guy'..."

"Just, _please_ trust my judgement on this."

He sighed. "Kira, is there something you're not telling me?"

She looked away, fidgeting a little in concentration. "I don't... Okay, I don't have a life story for everyone in the galaxy, all I have is what's in the database, which isn't as comprehensive as I would like."

"You seem to have a good enough knowledge of the Normandy crew," He pointed out.

She shrugged. "You guys took down Saren. You can see how much everyone in this timeline knows about you guys from that. Is it really that surprising that you made it into the database?"

"So, none of what we're doing here is in the database?"

She nodded. "You're supposed to be here, doing this, but... I don't have a lot of details." It hadn't exactly been something her parents had been willing to talk about openly, and she strongly suspected that the events that took place here were kept from the archives at her their behest.

"Look, Kira, if you don't have any solid evidence then I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt."

That was the problem. _She_ had pieced together enough to realise that her father's team wouldn't have been taken down without inside help, something actually working with them had only confirmed, but someone, other than her father, had gotten out alive, only to disappear. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened.

But she had no proof.

Garrus sighed, giving her that look that she had come to know all too well as his 'teaching her a lesson' look, something that she only now came to realise that she had missed almost as much as the way he'd buy her chocolate ice cream and a box of ammo when she was sad.

"Kira, even if you could prove that he was going to do something, you can't judge people on what they _might _one day do. You've changed this timeline enough times to know that."

"I just... I don't want anyone to get hurt."

"So, keep an eye on him. Seriously, Kira. Get to know the guy before you judge. See him in action. If you're still unsure, we'll talk about it in a month or so."

She folded her arms, knowing that he was right. Although she didn't have to like it. "_Fine_. I'll be his fucking friend, but if I decide that Sidonis is still untrustworthy after a few weeks, you need to tell him to get lost, okay?"

Her father sighed. "Fine, but you have to have _some_ evidence, not just a 'bad feeling'."

She nodded. "Agreed."

* * *

Tom had been tempted to help Liara to retrieve Shepard's body, but Kira's warnings about interfering as little as possible were ringing in his ears. So he had kept his distance, observing from afar but nothing more.

Although he wished that he could just forget what had happened between him and Kira... he had always been confused over what had happened between his mother and sister but now it all made perfect sense. Because you couldn't _not_ receive this information and be furious. Although there wasn't really a convenient target for his anger. Should he be angry at Cerberus? Of course, but they didn't exactly make the most convenient of targets, especially when he had to work _with_ them. Kira was the most convenient target for his anger, it had been long enough now for him to accept that, but it didn't make the anger any easier to deal with. He wasn't ready to talk with her yet. He knew that Tali, in her concern for him, had messaged Kira, to try and get them talk talking again. But he knew that, even if she had responded, he wouldn't listen. He couldn't. Not yet.

He sighed, knowing that the next part would be tricky as he approached the Cerberus facility where Shepard had been shipped to. He was half tempted to simply turn back, happy in the knowledge that Cerberus had her and had every intention of bringing her back to life, but he couldn't. The database told of how close Cerberus had come to installing some kind of control in his mother, something that he couldn't risk in this timeline. If he simply abandoned this and something went wrong, he would never be able to live with himself.

A small part of him wondered why this job couldn't have fallen to Kira. It wasn't as she had anything more pressing to do, although he knew that he could never bring himself to call her to ask for help.

He sighed a little. Maybe both of them were just too stubborn for their own good...

"_Unidentified vessel, please leave orbit immediately or we will be forced to shoot you down."_

"Well, at least they said please," Tom muttered to himself, not used to the silence that accompanied his comment before he activated the comm to reply. "Please stand-by, Station One. Clearance codes are incoming." He prayed to the Spirits that the codes were accurate as he transmitted them.

Several moments passed before they replied. "_Unidentified vessel, you are cleared to land. A security team will meet you when you dock._"

He sighed. _Now for the difficult part..._

* * *

Kira paced agitatedly, wishing that the exam room of the clinic wasn't so small. Agitated seemed to be a constant state of mind of late. Just as she had begun to reconcile her grief over losing Cai, she had lost her brother to her own short-sightedness. It was hard to not become lost in her anger, taking it out on the streets of Omega. Her father had done a good job of keeping her from going over the edge, but it meant that her temper was even shorter than usual, and she wasn't exactly known for being level-headed at the best of times. Something she blamed on her stupid genes. Apparently, designing a killing machine took a little creative neurochemistry.

"Must remain still," The Salarian scientist told her, quickly losing his patience. Kira liked Mordin; they had become fast friends – she was simply glad to have someone of a similar intellect to talk to for once – but not even he could talk her out of her chaotic thoughts when she got like this.

"I just can't believe that my- that Garrus wouldn't listen to me!"

"Understandable. Had no conclusive evidence. Or, any at all," He pointed out. "Now hold still!"

Kira finally obliged, although she only managed to halt her pacing for a few moments before resuming her agitated movements. "I just… I can't believe that he didn't trust my judgement."

"Why would he? Didn't work closely together on the Normandy. Both worked with Shepard, not together."

Kira finally stopped for real at that. It had been easier for her to build a new relationship with this Shepard, because their relationship in her timeline was almost non-existent. But Kira had always been close with her father. She often forgot that this Garrus didn't have the same memories she had. He had no reason to trust her judgement. At least, not to this extent. They had only been working together closely for a few months and she was sure that the overall impression she was giving was of an erratic personality, which, she had to admit, probably wasn't that far from the truth.

She sighed. "Maybe he's right… I am basing this on circumstantial evidence of something that hasn't even happened yet. Just… if I can prevent something from happening, I have the responsibility to stop it, right?"

Mordin shrugged. "Or is the responsibility to return the timeline to as close to the original as you can?"

She gave a resigned groan, folding her arms. "I think that ship sailed when I told Nihlus to stay away from Eden Prime. But… gah! I don't know. I'm no good at this ethical crap."

"Thought humans believed 'innocent until proven guilty'?"

She glared at him. "'Proven guilty' in this case may be a bloodbath…"

"Then surely the best way to prevent that would be to get close to Sidonis and keep an eye on him."

She sighed once more. "Maybe you're right…"

"Now, your arm. Unless you don't want me to return feeling in your fingers."

She gave him a grateful smile, extending her arm outwards. "Thanks for this Mordin. So, how's our other project coming along?"

"Concept sound from a biological standpoint. Not sure about dimensional physics."

Kira shrugged as best she could with just her right shoulder. "Leave the physics to me. I'm pretty sure that this message in a bottle will work. It needs to."

"Won't work just because you need it to."

Kira nodded. "I know. I just… I need the closure. To say goodbye for real, you know?"

"Understandable."

She gave him a grateful smile. That explained her behaviour over the last year alright. Understandable, but not necessarily acceptable…

* * *

"You know, you really should have bought me dinner first," Tom told the dark-haired Cerberus operative as the security officers finished searching him. He would readily admit that his default setting was 'flirting', but his heart was no longer in it.

"He has no weapons, Ma'am, but he does have a biotic amp."

The operative simply fixed the officer with a cold glare. "I think I can handle one biotic turian."

Tom raised a browplate at that. He was easily as powerful as his mother, which, he was pretty sure, made him more powerful than any other human biotic. But he didn't exactly feel like telling Cerberus that he was just another one of their failed experiments. Not that _he_ had been a failure. Kira had been more than clear on the fact that it was her inability to develop biotics that had led to them being scheduled for termination.

_Wait, does she blame herself for what almost happened?_

He shook his head, trying to dispel the sudden insight into his sister. He needed to be angry with her. That anger was giving him the drive to do this, instead of simply returning to the arms of the woman he loved.

"Who are you and why are you here? Who gave you the location of this base?"

Tom sighed a little. "My name is Tom and I'm here because I know you have Shepard. And no one gave me this location, I found it myself."

"Why does it matter to you if we have Shepard?"

"Look, I'm not here to stop you. Just to make sure you succeed."

"I don't work with turians," She told him coldly before attempting to put him in a stasis field. He easy deflected her attack, causing her eyes to widen a little.

"Okay, I was asking nicely," He told her, fixing her with a glare of his own. "I agree that Shepard should be brought back. I'm not even going to object massively to her working with Cerberus, although I sure as hell want to. I'm just here to make sure you don't fuck it up. The First Contact War put a strain on everyone. You're going to have difficulty getting the resources you need. Lucky for you, I have data that might cut down your need for additional resources. So, you either work with me, or you risk never being able to bring Shepard back. I don't know about you, but I don't particularly want to risk the latter."

The operative gritted her teeth for a few moments before letting out a small sigh. "I will look at your data. If it has merit, I won't kill you."

He refused to lower his own glare. "I wasn't asking for anything more."

"So, 'Tom'? Is that your whole name?"

He shrugged. "It's all you're getting. You can call me Thomas if you think 'Tom' is too informal."

"I'm Operative Lawson," She replied, her tone still stone cold.

_Well, this'll be fun…_ Tom thought, missing Tali more and more each second.

* * *

"Your arm feeling any better?" Sidonis asked as Kira left the clinic. She hadn't even realised that he was still there.

She made her best effort to bite back a scathing remark. "Yeah. Mordin patched me up." She couldn't keep the icy edge from her voice as she refused to so much as look at the turian.

"Did I do something to offend you?" He asked, stepping in front of her.

She sighed. "You haven't _done_ anything."

"Then why the hell are you so cold towards me?" He demanded. "I would have thought that you had a problem with turians but you and Archangel get on just fine."

"I don't have a problem with turians. I just… I think Archangel can be too trusting at times," She admitted.

"So, you don't trust me?"

She shrugged. "Should I? I just met you."

"You don't seem to have any trouble with the rest of the squad."

Kira couldn't deny that she had been getting on quite well with the others that they had recruited along the way. She still kept to herself, letting no one but her father get truly close, but she was no worse than she had been on the Normandy.

"They've all proven to me that they can be trusted. _You_ have yet to do that."

"Well then, we'll just have to change that, won't we?"

She sighed, knowing that she needed to get close to him to assess whether or not he was really the threat she suspected him to be. "Fine. Do you know anywhere near here that sells ice cream?"

"Ice cream?" He repeated, clearly a little unnerved by the nonsequitur.

"Yeah… I'm really in the mood for chocolate ice cream…"


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: New mid-length chapter! Yay! It's too late... Or early... Whichever...**

**Thanks go out once more to everyone who reads, special thanks to everyone who has favourited and followed, with double-rainbow thank yous to Zombie Pixel and DeltaAgent for the awesome reviews! You guys are the best!  
**

**If you haven't noticed, I uploaded a Valentine's Day short about Tom, because I feel like he doesn't get as much backstory time as his sister. Anyway, it's called Turian Valentine, so if you haven't read it yet, I would suggest doing so. ^^**

**Hope you enjoy! ^^**

* * *

**Chapter 15 - ****Objection, your honor! He's reciting the opening to Quantum Leap.**

_Was she dead?_

_If she was dead, being dead felt far more tiring than she had ever thought possible. And also like a bed. Like a very warm, comfy bed that she never wanted to leave._

_But, as with all feelings of comfort, it was merely fleeting, leaving her as soon as she felt a sharp tugging at her hair, causing her to open her eyes, only to see a tiny turian pulling her hair towards his mouth._

"_No, that's not for eating," She quickly groaned, prying the locks from his little fingers as she heard a soft chuckle across the room._

"_Yeah, I think his sister has been trying to tell him that for a while now," Garrus told her, her eyes drawn to the small human girl in his arms. As he stepped closer, she noticed her brother and immediately began reaching for him, her little hands grasping at the air. Her brother instantly began doing the same as soon as he saw her._

_**Wait, what? Wasn't I just being spaced?**__ Shepard wasn't sure if she was dreaming or what, but it certainly felt like the dream she had just before Ilos. Although, that one had made __**more**__ sense than this one, if not much. She had wanted Garrus, her subconscious had just been mirroring that. But this? She had only been with Garrus for little over a month, and she never really considered children as an option for her before. Retiring wasn't really an option for biotics during the war. Although, now that it was over, she guessed that she would be free to pursue a life outside of the Alliance if she wished._

_Which, apparently, some part of her did, if the warm feeling in her heart as she watched the two children talk to each other in nonsensical babbling was any indication._

_Regardless of what random bit of psychology was responsible for the bizarre dream, she couldn't do anything about it, trapped as she was; an observer in her own body. So she simply let the feeling of contented warmth spread as Garrus wrapped his arms around her, the look of adoration mirroring her own as they watched their children play together._

* * *

Tom was under no illusions that he was, as far as Cerberus was concerned, a prisoner. He was pretty sure that 'guests' didn't have armed guards. Not that he still couldn't easily just walk out if he wanted. He may have little skill with weapons, but his biotics were more than strong enough. Although, he couldn't deny that he would have been much happier about the whole affair if he had his sister at his six, but he had apparently burnt that bridge. It was strange; they had never gone more than a few weeks without talking before. But now it was fast approaching two years since she had told him the truth and he was beginning to regret not looking for her when he had the chance. She had been terrified, he could see that clearly now. She expected him to push her away just as she had done to their mother. And she had been right, he had pushed her away. So, in her fear she had ran, probably as far and as fast as she could. For all of his sister's intelligence, she had a bad habit of expecting the worse, cutting and running before it could come to pass.

He missed her. And he missed Tali. And he missed Cai. And he missed his parents… He had never felt as alone as he did now, working amongst his enemy. Suddenly every time Kira had insisted on taking down a Cerberus facility on her own - using particularly brutal tactics - made perfect sense. But, as much as he would love to burn the Cerberus facility to the ground, he knew that they were the best hope of bringing his mother back. Although, the fact that he could easily walk out at any point probably went a way to explaining why he wasn't kept at the same facility as Shepard. He didn't mind so much; he could easily do his work from there, but he did worry a little about her waking up alone, except for Cerberus agents. That was a sure way for someone to get killed… Something he wouldn't be that opposed to if the someone in question was Operative Lawson.

However, at the moment, his mind was currently on a very different problem as he stormed towards Lawson, not bothering to keep his biotics in check.

"What is the point of my even being here if you refuse to listen?!" He demanded.

The Cerberus Operative didn't move so much as a muscle in response, simply regarding him coldly. "Nobody asked you to be here."

He growled with fury. "But if I hadn't been, you probably wouldn't have gotten this far, so it's not unreasonable that you might _listen_ to me once in a while!"

"That operation had nothing to do with Project Lazarus. You shouldn't have even known about it."

"But I did, and I told you to not attack the Flotilla!"

She glared at him, folding her arms. "You are here because you have information on Shepard. Any other Cerberus operations do not concern you." She turned to one of the security officers behind him. "Jacob, can you escort our guest back to his quarters?"

Tom's biotics momentarily flared at the dismissal but he knew that it was no use. The damage had already been done. All he would accomplish now would be limiting his access even further, something he couldn't really afford.

"Don't take it personally. Miranda's just pissed that she has to accept help from, well…" Jacob trailed off, having started speaking as soon as they were out of earshot.

"A turian?" Tom sighed. He was getting sick of putting up with this shit. He wondered if his sister had felt this isolated when they were still with the Hierarchy. He always figured that she had him and Caius, so she was fine, but it didn't really occur to him that it may still have been a struggle if everyone else thought she didn't belong there. It would have been just like Kira to not tell him if she was having a hard time.

"Sorry. I know that you're alright but… well, things are still tense after the war, you know?"

Tom nodded. "This _is _Cerberus. I expected tension. Just… I wish I could have prevented this."

Jacob regarded him carefully at that. He never thought that he could think of a turian as anything but an enemy, but he had to admit that Tom had grown on him in the last few months. "Seems like this might be a little personal…" He ventured.

Tom tightened his mandibles at that, stiffening slightly. He had been careful to keep his relationship with Tali to himself for exactly this reason. She didn't need to be tied to Cerberus. Although it pained him that he couldn't even message her. "Whether it's personal or not isn't the point. It was wrong regardless."

Jacob shrugged. "No argument here. I figure we have enough enemies without trying to make more. But, sometimes you just have to accept this stuff because, at the end of the day, Cerberus gets the job done."

"I think that's the beginning of a very slippery slope that I want no part of…"

* * *

"Are you… _meditating_?"

Kira opened her eyes to see the lilac painted turian who was trilling amusement at her. She rolled her eyes, folding her arms.

"I… sometimes have trouble remaining detached. It's definitely something I inherit from my mother, but she just seemed to take it in stride. Stuff affected her, but she just seemed to use those emotions as tools, rather than letting them get to her. That was something I never really got the hang of," She admitted as her father walked into the room, only to do a double-take as his gaze fell on her head.

"What in Spirits' name did you do to your hair?" He asked, staring more than a little.

She shrugged. "It was getting long. Plus, I wanted to go back to my natural red, so I just cut all of the black out."

"It's so short… I thought only human males cut their hair that short."

"That's what I said," Sidonis volunteered.

Kira shook her head at that. "I just don't want to let my hair get too long." In truth, she needed the separation from the person she had once been. She had needed the last two years, more than she had been willing to admit. She had always had Tom, so much so that he was almost a part of _her_ identity. Caius hadn't been that different, either. She only had a sense of herself in relation to other people, not as a sole entity. Maybe it was the same for everyone. Maybe people were, ultimately, defined by their relationships with others...

Regardless, she wasn't a philosopher. Or a psychologist. Or anyone who was in any way qualified to evaluate the deeply complex issue of human identity. She was a failed experiment with self-worth issues. It may have taken her fifteen years to narrow it down, but being on her own - or, at least, as on her own as she was ever likely to get for an extended period of time - had, somehow, given her some of the perspective she needed to realise that other people weren't the problem. She just had self-esteem issues.

She had been happy and as well adjusted as anyone who was constantly bullied could ever be. Most of her problems had involved worrying about her brother, since she hadn't really had any worries of her own. Things had only started to become strained a little while after Tom developed his biotics. Everyone had expected her to follow in her mother's footsteps. Suddenly being pretty and intelligent and caring and engaging weren't enough. People expected _more_ from her. Specifically, biotics.

She hadn't let it bother her, though. It wasn't something that _she_ wanted, just something others expected from her and she had been raised to believe that no one's expectations mattered but her own.

Which was easier for her to swallow when the expectation of others wasn't the deciding factor of whether she and Tom lived or died.

Of course, _knowing_ about the problem and actually dealing with it, were two separate issues. But, for the first time in fifteen years, she was trying. She figured that that was all anyone could ever ask from her.

"You are, officially, the weirdest human I have ever met," Sidonis told her, his subharmonics still trilling with humour.

She raised her eyebrows, smiling, as she replied. "Yeah, until you can no longer count the number of humans you know on your hands, especially given that you only have six fingers in total, that comment is essentially meaningless."

"Doesn't make it any less true," He told her as he got up. "See you later, Val?" She had never told anyone on Omega her real name.

"Yeah, yeah," She replied as he left the room. She then turned to her father only to find him giving her a pointed look. "What?"

"You two seem to be getting along well. Are you ready to take back your initial assessment?"

She shocked him by shaking her head. "No."

"But... you two seem to be friends," He observed.

"Well, yeah. He's not a bad guy or anything. He's actually pretty sweet," She told him, shrugging, leaving him more confused.

"So then why don't you want him to remain on the squad?"

She sighed. "Because he's not cut out for this kind of work." He was about to object but she cut him off. "No, listen to me. Turians may not understand this, but not everyone is built to be a soldier. And expecting them to be can be dangerous, not just for them, but for the people who rely on them. I believe that he _wants_ to make a difference but I don't think that, when it comes down to it, that's enough. He's the weak link in the chain."

Garrus took a moment to digest what she was saying. She wasn't talking about ability or beliefs, but the very building blocks of a person. Some people would never be fighters, as good as they might be when they handled a weapon. He sighed, folding his arms.

"You know, I think you're wiser than people give you credit for," He told her.

She immediately looked sheepish. "I, erm... thanks D-Garrus."

He frowned a little, wondering if his translator had glitched out on him for a second. He knew that Kira spoke fluent Turian Common, but she refused to unless she was one hundred percent sure that they were alone, not wanting to raise any suspicions about who she might be.

"So, what do we do about it?"

Kira shrugged. "The same as before. I keep an eye on him and make sure that... well, that nothing happens."

Garrus nodded, not too thrilled about Kira's skills being wasted like that. "Alright, then."

Neither of them realised that their conversation had had an unwanted listener, simply continuing on as he left.

"Kira?" Garrus asked as she began to return to working on the plans for the device that she and Mordin had been working on.

"Yeah?"

"Why did you never message Nihlus back?"

She was struck by the sudden question, her stomach clenching with guilt. She knew that she should have, but it was too late now to dwell on mistakes that she had made in a state of distress.

"I... I guess I just..."

"You cared about him," Garrus observed.

She didn't even try to deny it. "I did. Still do, I guess. It just wasn't the right time. I needed time to myself before I could even begin to face anyone again. And now too much time has passed."

"He still messages, you know? Trying to get me to tell him where you are. To see if you're really okay for himself. I don't think he takes my word for it."

"So why haven't you?" She asked, softly.

"Because, for whatever reason, I already knew that you needed space."

She gave him a grateful smile, remembering why she had always gotten on so well with her father. He just seemed to get her. "Thank you."

* * *

"_She's not going to do it," Sophia told her son after she had watched him almost throw the game controller across the room._

_She didn't know how long she had been in this strange dream state, randomly jumping through her imagined future with Garrus and their two children. She had gotten used to it a while ago, feeling less disconnected than she had before. Although some elements of the dream world still escaped her. For example, she couldn't retain her children's names for more than a few moments, the information slipping from her mind as soon as she heard it._

"_You don't know that," He replied, doing his best to look as if he wasn't bothered._

"_I know your sister. She doesn't want to and we both know that she doesn't do things she doesn't want to."_

"_But she __**should**__. She only won't because of me. If I was just... if I was as smart as her, it wouldn't be a problem!"_

_Sophia frowned a little at the anger in his words that he wasn't quite managing to hide. She could have sworn that she had seen a flash of blue at the edge of her vision, putting her on edge as she watched for the familiar crackle of biotics. They had always known that there would be a chance that the kids might develop biotics, but her son was barely ten. Much too young by almost all standards._

"_It's not a __**problem**__, tesoro. Your sister doesn't want to be more of an outsider than she already is. She struggles to make friends as it is, and she feels that being moved up a year will only make things harder."_

"_But if we both moved up, we wouldn't have this problem," He countered._

"_Tom, you're the top of your class-"_

"_**No**__, Kira's the top of our class."_

_She sighed. "Tom, you both score the top marks. You're tied."_

"_Only because we can't go higher, if we could, Kira would always be top."_

_His mother sighed at that, folding her arms. "Tom… I know that you hate to hear this, but you two are still young. So, yes, Kira is academically gifted, but that doesn't mean that she'll be any better off when she's older. If anything, I think it'll only cause problems for her later, especially if she doesn't maintain this level of achievement, which often happens."_

_Her son nodded. He didn't look happy, but he wasn't so upset, either. "I just… I hate that I'm not even in the same league as her."_

_She just shrugged, looking a little amused. "I don't think anyone is, and I think it's more than a little lonely for her at times."_

_Tom looked a little sheepish. "I guess I never thought of that…"_

"_Maybe next time you and Caius go out and play, you can ask her to join you," She suggested._

_Tom shrugged. "Maybe. But only if Caius agrees."_

_She gave him a bit of a warning look at that. It pained her to see how the other children isolated her daughter, and Tom had a tendency to let them to avoid their bullying. Although she couldn't necessarily blame him after he came home with a bloody mandible one day after standing up for Kira. He would step in if the others became abusive, either verbally or physically, but not before._

_She walked downstairs to see her husband and daughter having a similar conversation in the kitchen. She held back so as to not disturb them._

"_So, is that why you didn't enter the competition?" He asked, causing Sophia to frown. What competition?_

"_I just… everyone gets so competitive."_

"_It is a __**competition**__," He pointed out._

"_But everyone gets mad at me when I win… I'd just rather not enter."_

_Garrus sighed. "I don't think you should avoid things because you're scared of upsetting others."_

_She shrugged. "I know, just… I'm honestly not bothered. I just end up feeling bad because it really does matter to them, but not to me."_

_Sophia watched the two of them as her husband made them each a bowl of chocolate ice cream. She had always known that her daughter wasn't competitive; it was just another example of how sensitive she was at times. Although, she was also quick to anger, a trait Sophia wished that she hadn't inherited. It only confirmed that she couldn't tell her daughter about her origins. It wasn't difficult to predict that her reaction would not be pleasant._

"_Now, if you promise not to tell your mom, I'll show you how to shoot my rifle."_

_Sophia decided to just let that one go…_

* * *

"Probably stress headache," Mordin told her as Kira rubbed her temples, trying to relieve the feeling of pressure in her skull.

"Maybe, I just figured I should be sure. It feels like the ones I used to get when I started to reject my arm."

Mordin frowned a little. "You suffered rejection?"

She nodded. "Yeah, just after I left the Hierarchy."

"How was it treated?"

"They gave me the nanobots, or nanites, or whatever you want to call them. The little robots that wander my blood stream."

"You suffered rejection, so they implanted more cybernetics?"

She nodded. "There was a logic to it. They could regulate my body functions, including my immune system, to stop me from having a reaction."

"Inefficient," He commented. "Better treatments. Less risky."

"Yeah, well, I knew that they just wanted a guinea pig. But I was still a little hurt about being kicked out by the turians. I just wanted to prove that I was good enough. Cai was furious. Tom wasn't much better. I didn't even want to know what my parents would say…"

Mordin noticed that she was talking about her past calmly, something that had been rare when they had first met. "Replication protocols damaged."

She nodded. "That's a software problem. I can handle that myself. Thanks, Mordin…"

"Have actually been meaning to speak with you."

"Oh?"

"Isolated all artificial gene sequences."

Kira frowned a little at that. A lot of the data on what exactly had been done to her and Tom - even data from the original project to enhance her mother and grandmother - had been lost. Cerberus had attempted to cover their tracks, at least enough to leave a degree of ambiguity. However, she hadn't realised that Mordin had been working on isolating the gene sequences.

"What did you find?" She was a little scared to know the answer. She knew that she was very similar to her mother (as much as she hated to admit it), but even she had been altered almost from conception. Maybe it would be easier to reconcile if she had something _more_, if she wasn't just the sum of her genes. But everything, from her combat skills, to her dancing, to her intellect, were all a result of genetic tampering. Maybe once, when she had Caius, she had been something more, but not since, although in the last few months, making a difference on Omega, she'd started to feel like she might be again.

"Mostly already known; enhanced intelligence, coordination, strength. Also, chiral-neutral receptors."

"So, that's why I can process dextro foods?" She had always wondered exactly how that worked.

He nodded. "Some DNA actually codes for dextro amino acids."

That was news to her. "So, wait, not only can I process it, my body generates dextro proteins, too?"

"Certain genes taken from father, not correctly altered to levo equivalents. Data suggests main reason for failure of earlier attempts. You have ability to process, so doesn't matter."

"So, is that it?"

"Alterations made to physical appearance."

She nodded. "Yeah, I had figured as much. It kind of comes hand-in-hand with better combat skills and strength."

"Genes altered suggest not just for combat; for attracting mates." She couldn't help but grimace at that. A killing machine was one thing, a... _sex toy_ was another. "Seventy percent waist-to-hip ratio, bilaterally symmetrical features, pheromones most intriguing..."

She raised an eyebrow at that. "How are they intriguing?"

"Some more likely to attract mates of different species as well as humans, such as yours. Most noticeable effect on turians."

"Huh..." It would go a way to explaining cross species attraction to a degree, she figured. Biologically, it shouldn't work, but it did.

"Also altered for potency. More of an effect present, specifically for turians."

She gave him an incredulous look, not wanting to think about the implications of what he was saying. "It can't have that much of an effect though, right?"

He shook his head. "Extremely effective."

She tried not to panic, but it wasn't easy. Had her relationship with Caius been built on nothing more than her genetic improvements? "So, what? I'm some kind of turian siren?"

He nodded. "Analogy acceptable."

"So, what you're telling me is that Caius never really loved me?" Her voice was small as she asked. She couldn't deny that it made sense to her. She had never been able to figure out why Cai had liked her. She was broken and he had known that. It had never made sense for him to love her, but the fact that he did had always given her hope that maybe she wasn't as broken as she had been.

Or maybe she'd just had a really glossy coat of paint...

"Helps initial attraction. Not basis for long-term relationship." That didn't necessarily put her mind at ease. Maybe her relationship with Caius hadn't been a total fabrication, but whatever she had with Nihlus? This only confirmed that she should just leave him be. Let him get on with his life without her...

"Can you turn it off?"

He frowned a little, clearly finding the request odd, before nodding. "Can suppress gene. Will need time, though."

"So, is that it?"

He nodded. "Not much else to change."

"Yeah... sounds about right." She tried to keep the bitterness from her voice. "Alright, well, I've got shit to do."

"Still babysitting?"

She rolled her eyes. "It's not 'babysitting' exactly, but yes, I'm still keeping an eye on Lantar. He's actually been withdrawing these past few months. It has me worried..."

"You think he might betray you?"

She shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know. My gut originally was saying yes, but now it's saying no... not that I ever listen to my gut. It seems stupid to rely on 'instinct' when the evidence is staring you in the face, and the evidence here says that he's to blame for what happens, circumstantial or no."

* * *

"Miranda, he has a point." Tom was a little surprised to hear Jacob standing up for him.

"No," Miranda replied simply.

Tom rolled his eyes, hoping that the Operative couldn't see over the vidlink. She and Jacob had permanently moved to the main Project Lazarus station months ago, leaving him alone at the separate facility. Just him and the guards. _Fun_.

"Look, she's going to wake up soon. You know that having a friendly face will help you. You've refused to listen to me about _everything_ else, which _will_ bite you in the ass, but this is one thing that I _really_ must insist upon. Shepard doesn't like Cerberus, in any way, shape or form. She knows what you did to her squad on Akuze. If you wake her up without someone she knows to calm her down, things won't go well for you."

"I think we can handle it," Lawson replied coldly.

"You haven't seen Shepard angry." Tom would readily admit that the thing that terrified him the most was his mother when he had pissed her off.

"Regardless, we have more than enough security mechs to keep Shepard subdued, should she prove to be hostile."

Tom sighed, about to reply, when he suddenly heard a siren across the link, just before Jacob swore.

"What's happening?" He asked.

But no one replied.

* * *

Kira frowned, messaging Lantar again. She knew that he had been avoiding her, seemingly trying to shake her, but he had never ignored her messages for so long. She couldn't help the feeling of unease that settled in her gut.

So, she headed towards his apartment. She knew where it was, but had never been there. She figured that there were some lines she just shouldn't cross. She knew that the squad needed their lives outside of their work, so she and Garrus had been careful to never cross that line. Those clear distinctions were important to maintain a professional manner while working. Their squad was like a close family, but separate from the rest of their lives, apart from the few of them that didn't have lives outside of it.

Her senses immediately went to red alert as she approached the apartment, something feeling very off.

The door was unlocked, causing her newly formed frown to deepen. Something was very wrong here...

It wasn't long before her eyes fell on the trail of blue, staining the floor. She followed it as quickly as she could, her pistol drawn, until she eventually found the bloody pulp of a turian, seemingly trying to reach his med-kit, although his efforts seemed to have been halted by the blood loss.

"Hey. Hey, Lantar, can you hear me?" She quickly knelt beside him, trying to assess how coherent he was.

She had seen enough battle injuries to know that this would be fatal, no matter how hard she tried to save him.

"Val?" He managed.

She nodded. "I'm here. What happened?"

He coughed before answering, bring up yet more blood. She hated to admit it, but she had never been good with blood. When she was angry, she could just ignore it, but otherwise, she was a fan of taking down her enemies as cleanly as possible.

She _hated_ this; watching as someone's blood drained from them (it should be _inside_ their bodies, shouldn't it?), making her queasy.

"Bastards came for me... been threatening me for a while..."

Her eyes widened. How had she not known? "Why didn't you tell us?" She tried to keep the accusation from her tone. That was the last thing the dying turian needed to hear.

"Didn't want you involved... wanted to prove that I wasn't the weak link... tried to avoid being seen with you... didn't want them to threaten _you_..."

She shook her head at that. "I can take care of myself," She managed, though her mind was racing. How long had he known that she had been watching him, waiting for him to slip up? He had always known that she didn't fully trust him, but when had he figured out the rest?

"I know..." He replied, what little strength his voice had was fading fast. "But I failed... they cut out my 'tool..."

Kira glanced down to the most mangled part of his frame, realising that it had once been his left arm. She tried her best to not throw up or pass out, not even noticing the tears beginning to stream down her face. "They can't get any data once it's been cut out..."

"Left it in long enough... cut in so that they could access it without disconnecting..." She paled at that, not wanting to think about the pain he had been through.

"You'll be okay. I'll call Mordin and you'll be okay." She couldn't help it. False hope was just too easy.

"We both know that I won't make it, Val..." He managed.

"Kira," She corrected him softly, not wanting to focus on the fact that his life was ebbing away. "My real name is Kirayna Rosa Viktal-Vakarian..."

"Pretty name..." He commented, earning him a weak smile. "Turian one, too..."

She nodded, struggling to remain coherent through her tears. "Don't tell." She choked a little as she spoke, all of her effort going to keeping her breathing steady.

"I don't think there's any danger of tha- of that..." His breathing was laboured now, she estimated that he had just seconds.

"I'm sorry. That I didn't trust you more..."

"It's okay, Va- Kirayna... it's a pretty name... shouldn't shorten it..."

She nodded. "I won't," She told him softly as he drew his last breath, leaving her alone with blood soaked hands and a guilty conscious...

Garrus had been with the rest of the squad, actually having a good time for once, instead of just working, when Kira entered the base. She seemed more than a little disoriented, blue blood coating her arms and knees, as well as smudged under her eyes, mixed with tears, and streaked through her hair as if she had been raking it back with her blood soaked hands.

"Kira?" He asked.

She just shook her head. "We... the mercs got to Lantar... they... they hacked his 'tool. I don't know how much information they have, but we're no longer safe here. Everyone needs to leave, asap."

He nodded, ignoring her appearance for now given the urgency of the situation. "We need to get everyone off Omega. They could have names." They had plans for this eventuality. Everyone had an escape except for the two that remained anonymous, even with their squad.

They were the distraction.

Everyone bustled about immediately, grabbing what little they could manage, contacting any family to tell them to get ready to leave as soon as possible.

The base was empty, except for Kira and Garrus, within an hour.

"Are you okay?" Garrus asked her softly as soon as they were alone.

She shook her head. "You and Mordin were right... I keep on... I _can't _judge people based on things they haven't done yet... I just... I wanted to prevent anything from happening..."

"Things are easier with the Reapers, aren't they?" He asked, clearly as torn as she was over certain decisions he had had to make during their time on Omega.

"Black and white. I _like_ black and white," She admitted.

"Same. I've never been very good with gray..."

She nodded. "Me neither. I _try_ to do the right thing but... it's too easy to get lost... I always relied on Tom's moral compass. I guess I never truly trusted my own."

"Yeah. I have to admit, that's something I miss about our fight with Saren. I could always rely on Soph to keep me straight..." Kira was a little surprised. To say that he had been reluctant to talk about Sophia since she had died, would be an understatement.

"Just occasionally, I would like things to be simple..." She mused, her heart constricting as her eyes rested on the dried blood across her skin. She had thought that her tears had dried, but apparently she wasn't quite done.

"I'll keep watch. You go and get yourself cleaned up, Kira."

She nodded. A part of her wanted to correct him, to tell him to call her Kirayna, but she knew that it would only risk her identity.

* * *

_Sophia's dreams had been becoming more and more disjointed. She was forgetting most of what had happened in them, now it was simply random flashes that she couldn't quite identify._

"_No, Soph, we need __**actual**__ names. You can't keep on calling them Mini-me and Mini-you..."_

"_Mom, it's fine. She's just at a friend's house. I promise." She knows he's lying, but lets it pass._

"_Garrus, what if they don't come home? What if they're really gone and... and I... Oh, God..." She dissolves into sobbing, her husband holding her tight._

"_Mama, have you seen my school shoes?"_

"_Piccina, I'm not mad that you didn't tell me. Knowing you two, it was probably entirely spontaneous. I'm just sad that we don't really talk any more. I'm willing to try to fix that if you are..."_

_She wakes up, pain everywhere, her eyes falling to her boyfriend, sitting at her bedside._

"_Garrus?"_

"_Soph," He breathes, immediately bringing his hand to her cheek._

"_I survived?"_

_He nods. "It'll take some time but the doctors say you'll be fine."_

_She notices the darkness just behind his gaze. She can't not. He knows. "And..." Her voice breaks before she can even begin, but he's known her long enough to understand._

_A shake of the head is all it takes for her to break down into tears._

"_Soph, you did what you had to do. I don't blame you for that."_

'_You did what you had to do' had never sounded so hollow..._

"_Mama, since I'm not doing choir any more, can I do dancing instead?"_

_Shepard..._

_Shepard, wake up..._


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: Hey, I'm back, with, what we in the business like to call, 'a fucking long-ass chapter'.**

**Couple of things to say today:**

**1) I have been drawing some stuff for this fic on my DeviantArt profile. My username is GohokeKitty, and I also tend to update my DA blog about where I am with writing new chapters and stuff, so you might want to take a look. If not, that's cool. Whatever. *Is totally trying to be nonchalant and cool about it, but failing terribly...***

**b) Head canon for this chapter regarding turian markings. The codex just says that different colonies had different markings, but it seems like a fucking weird thing for a space-age civilization to decide to do, so it probably originated from an older tradition. Since humans are the most genetically diverse of species in the Mass Effect universe (as Mordin says in ME2) it is reasonable to extrapolate that turians evolved in a localised area of Palaven, not expanding until later in their evolutionary history. So, these original colonies on Palaven are where the marking tradition comes from in my head canon, so different districts of Palaven have different markings. (Have I thought too much about this? I feel like I might have...)**

**iii) I'm trying to swear less. Is it working?**

**100) A few of you have been asking about Nihlus. We _will_ get back to him (how could we not? He's pretty awesome...) but not for a couple of chapters. :(**

**As always, huge thanks to everyone who reads this, special thanks to everyone who favourites and reviews, and super-awesome bestest thanks to 1054SS325MP, Zombie Pixel, and DeltaAgent for the awesome reviews. You've heard this before, but I'll say it again, you guys rock and are simply the best *cue Simply the Best playing in my head, followed by the realisation that I should probably stop listening to 80's disco tunes while drunk...***

**Sorry about the long-winded Author's Note.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 16 - **** Timeline? This is No Time to Talk About Time! We Don't Have the Time!**

Shepard groaned. Who the fuck was this annoying woman and what right did she have to wake her up at this hour? Actually... she realised that she didn't actually know what time it was. Too early, that was for damn sure.

"_Commander Shepard? You need to get up. This facility is under attack._"

Facility? Wasn't she just... had she been with Garrus? Flashes of her strange dreams played in front of her mind, but they were too disjointed, refusing to make sense.

After a moment or two, her breath seemed to escape her lungs as fear gripped her, the memories of being flung from the Normandy returning in full force. The cold, never-ending dark surrounding her on all sides.

"_Shepard? Can you hear me?!"_

The voice returned, pulling her from her thoughts, prompting Sophia to sit up, frowning. "Yeah, yeah, I hear you..." Her own voice was rough, only increasing the feeling of having a really bad hangover.

"_Commander, this facility is under attack! You have to leave! Your armour and pistol are in the cabinet._"

Shepard sighed, rolling her eyes as she got down from the examination table, halting as she caught a glimpse of the web of glowing orange scars across her skin, reminiscent of the blue ones on Kira's arm, where her synthetic dermis met her skin. Her mind instantly flew to the dream she had before Ilos. Hadn't she had orange scars then as well?

She pulled herself from her thoughts as she examined the armour before putting it on. It certainly wasn't hers, although it looked like it. It seemed newer. Upgraded. She raked her hand through her hair, annoyed by how it was getting in her way. The new armour was great, but she suspected that it was needed because her old suit was now unusable. She supposed she had lost her hair ribbon in the blast, too. She stamped down on a brief wave of sorrow at the thought. It had been the one thing of her old life that she had clung to throughout her years on the streets, remembering how her mother used to tie her own up.

"_Just because we're soldiers, doesn't mean we can't look pretty sometimes,_" She had told her, although Sophia now knew that her mother had been more of a spy than a soldier.

Sophia hated herself a little for so easily falling into nostalgia, something she blamed Garrus for. She had forgotten what it had been like to have that feeling of safety and comfort that came with having a home, but now that she had it once more, she couldn't stop remembering.

"I don't suppose there's any coffee anywhere?" She asked, only to be greeted by silence.

Finally, the voice responded. "_Shepard, we are under __**attack**__!"_

"Yeah, I know, but you just woke me up. That's not a very good position for you to be in. Just ask my boyfriend." She still got a kick out of saying it. _Boyfriend_. It shouldn't make her want to giggle as much as it did, but she honestly didn't care.

The voice's response was cut short by the arrival of security mechs. Shepard raised an eyebrow at their small frames. They looked so breakable. It didn't take long for her to figure out the exact spot to hit them with her biotics to watch them crumple. She didn't even have to hit them that hard, conserving her energy. Although, she didn't feel the usual weariness that normally accompanied heavy biotic use as she walked through the facility.

Where had that voice gone? Had she been attacked? Killed? Sophia felt a little sorry for being so short with her, especially since she had probably been responsible for fixing her up after... the accident. Although Shepard still wasn't entirely sure _how_ she had been patched up. She was pretty sure that she had been dead. Although the dead don't usually dream, do they? She definitely remembered fragments of dreams, but they seemed to leave nothing more than disjointed images and the remnants of emotions long since past.

"Shepard?" She was pulled from her thoughts as she saw a security officer battling a couple of mechs. She quickly took them down, hitting the weak spots between their joints once more.

"Need a hand?" She asked, approaching him.

"How in the hell did you take them down like that?"

She grinned. "A little bit of technical know-how never goes amiss. I guess it just proves that, despite what her father says, Ki-" She halted, forgetting where she was going with that sentence.

"Shepard?" The security officer asked.

She shook her head. "Sorry, I don't know... I forgot what I was going to say. I guess I'm still a little groggy..."

He nodded. "Makes sense after all you've been through. Looks like you're still okay to fight, though."

"Yeah. Sorry. I'm still jonesing for a coffee."

He smiled at that. "Once we get out of here, I'll make sure you get one."

"Well, you seem to know who I am. Do I get to know your name?"

"Jacob Taylor, ma'am," He replied before sighing, his gaze scanning the damaged mechs. "Tom was right. This was most likely an inside job."

Sophia frowned. "Tom?"

"Your turian friend. At least, according to him. There is very little record of him actually working with you."

Shepard let a little of the tension in her gut fall away. She had been more than a little on guard, having woken up in a strange place. Sure, she had been distracted by the attack, but she couldn't help but be suspicious. Which, as far as she was concerned, was entirely justified, so knowing that Tom was working with them definitely helped her to relax a little, dropping her sarcastic attitude just a touch.

"Tom and his sister are a... unique case," She explained, earning her a surprised look.

"I didn't even know he _had_ a sister."

Shepard found herself a little fearful at that. Had they still not found Kira? How long had she been on that table? "What happened?" She finally settled for asking. "With the Normandy, I mean. Did anyone else make it out?"

"A lot of the crew from the lower decks didn't make it. Neither did Navigator Pressley. But all of the ground crew got out."

Shepard nodded. The Alliance had, essentially, kicked out her alien squad mates, leaving her with just Kaidan and Ashley. She certainly couldn't deny that those few weeks on the Normandy without Garrus had been almost as lonely as those years on the street, or after she had just lost her squad. She hadn't realised how much she had needed someone until he was there.

"So, where are they now?"

He sighed a little, contemplating how to respond for a moment. "All got reassigned, I imagine. Shepard, you've been gone a long time. You were _dead_ when they brought you in. I mean, _really_ dead. Nothing but meat and tubes. It... took a while to get you up and working again. Hell, I'm sure they would have waited even longer if it wasn't for the attack."

Shepard's biotics flared at that, getting sick of him dancing around the subject. "_How long_?" He had been clearly avoiding that question, shifting uncomfortably.

"It's been... about two years."

She froze at that. _Two years_?!

"I'm sorry, Shepard. Everyone thinks you're dead."

_Come on, Soph. You just need to take all this anger out on the mechs. _Her usual inner voice of reason helped her to focus her anger. It was something she had learnt long ago and she couldn't deny that it was an invaluable tool.

"Then let's show them they're wrong..."

* * *

They moved quickly through the facility after that, reaching the server room in a matter of minutes.

"Jacob? Wait, you woke Shepard up?" Sophia frowned a little as they approached the wounded man, noting how Jacob was discreetly readying his gun.

"Wilson. What are you doing here? You're part of the medical team, you don't have clearance for the server room."

"I was trying to stop this, but they shot me."

"I'll get some medi-gel," Shepard told them, heading towards the dispenser.

"No need," Jacob replied, earning a questioning look. "You always were a bad liar, Wilson. Miranda may not like listening to Tom, but it doesn't mean that he's not right. We've known that you would betray us for some time now."

Shepard gave Jacob an incredulous look. "If you knew, then why was he even in a position to do this?"

"Because Miranda is the project lead and she..."

"Doesn't trust turians," Shepard finished, gritting her teeth a little. "So, you essentially let this happen?"

Jacob shrugged. "Hey, like I said, take it up with Miranda. She made the call."

"Don't worry, I will. Now, what are we going to do with him?" She indicated to Wilson, her biotics flaring a little.

"You- You don't seriously believe that skull-faced bastard, do you?" Sophia tried really hard not to crush his skull in there and then, but it wasn't easy.

Jacob just ignored him. "I wish we could take him with us, question him later, but... he'd only be a liability. Plus, I can't imagine Miranda will be so kind when we meet up with her."

Sophia sighed, folding her arms. "You know, this Miranda kind of sounds like a bitch."

"She brought you back to life," Jacob reminded her.

Sophia gave a bit of cold laugh at that. She had learnt long ago that 'saving your life' was simply code for 'you are pretty much my bitch now'. Something she was always quick to correct. "Yeah, that doesn't mean that I have to like her. So, are we leaving him here?"

"I don't see another option. I don't really want to kill him."

Sophia nodded. "Alright then. Good luck," She told Wilson before heading out.

"You stupid bitch!"

She rolled her eyes, pulling his gun from his hands with her biotics, wondering where he had pulled it from. "Dumb move," She replied coldly, before shooting him herself.

"Damn, Shepard..."

She sighed a little at Jacob's tone. "What? Not what you expected?"

"Just... No. I guess not. The Alliance made it seem like you were all sunshine and rainbows."

She flared her biotics, turning to face him. "Look, I've just been told that I've been dead for _two years_! I have no idea how I'm alive, where I am, or who you even _are_! So, please excuse me if I am less than cordial right now." She kept her voice level, keeping her anger a finely sharpened tool.

"Yes, ma'am," Jacob replied, automatically. She almost smiled at that. There was a reason she was _the_ Commander Shepard. "If I tell you where you are, who I work for, will you trust me?"

She folded her arms, raising an eyebrow. "I guess that depends on your answer."

He sighed, nodding. "Alright then, I guess that's fair. Have you ever heard of Cerberus?"

Her biotics flared dangerously at that. "_Cerberus_?! You mean the organisation that was responsible for _killing my squad_ on Akuze?!"

Jacob shifted uneasily at that. "I wouldn't know. If that happened, it was before my time. Look, Commander, I understand if you don't want to trust Cerberus, hell _I_ don't trust them most of the time, but there is only one way off this station. You're going to have to trust me for now, if you want to get out of here."

Shepard's biotics continued to flare but she thought for a moment before answering. "I highly doubt Tom _trusts_ you, but if he _is_ working with you, I guess I trust his judgement. But I want to speak with him as soon as we get out of here."

Jacob nodded. "We'll head to the main facility. That's where he's been working."

"Not here?" She kept her tone openly suspicious as they continued on through the facility.

"No. Miranda thought that if we kept him here, he would try to break you out as soon as you were well enough."

"I think I'd be disappointed if he didn't. After all, we rais-" She halted mid-sentence once more. "Huh. I forgot what I was going to say again." She didn't miss the way he gave her a concerned look, causing her to roll her eyes. "Look, I slipped up a couple of times. Happens to everyone. Doesn't mean I can't knock some heads, including yours." She let her tone lighten a little, flashing Jacob a quick smile. If things went south, she figured that she could probably take him. Plus, he didn't seem like _too_ bad a guy, if you ignored his employer.

Plus, he was yet to make a racist comment about Tom, which definitely won him some points with her.

Jacob didn't raise any concerns about her mental health as they made it through the facility, his concerns apparently alleviated by her ability to take down the mechs quickly and effectively. She was definitely in control of the situation, leaving no doubt that this was _Shepard_ and she knew exactly what she was doing.

It didn't take them long to reach the shuttle, although there had been no sign of any other survivors. At least, not until they opened the door to the docking bay, revealing a woman that Shepard tried really hard not to instantly hate. No one who wore skin-tight white catsuits was ever good news.

"Where's Wilson?" She asked them sharply.

"He tried to shoot me. What do you think?" Shepard replied, just as sharply.

"Good. Saves me having to kill him. Let's go."

"Shouldn't we check for survivors?" Sophia might be pissed off, but some things were just hardwired. _Sunshine and rainbows_...

_Garrus would get a kick out of that,_ she thought, prompting her heart to ache. _Everyone thinks you're dead_, Jacob had said. But Tom knew that she was here. So, did Garrus think that she was dead or did he know that she was coming back?

Two years had passed.

That thought definitely made her uneasy. Okay, maybe uneasy was an understatement. She had been dead and the galaxy had just kept on spinning. As it should. Although it didn't make it any easier to think about.

Part of her wished that Garrus had moved on. Just gotten over her and been happy.

But part of her, a small selfish part that she _hated_ to admit even existed, wished that he hadn't. That she would find him waiting for her, that he would pull her into his arms as soon as he saw her as if no time had passed at all.

Because, for her, none had...

"No," Miranda replied simply, pulling Shepard from her morose thoughts. _We can't change the past, we can only strive to change the future._ Sophia knew that she needed to keep her mind on the job. She wasn't one to ignore her feelings or push them aside, using them as tools instead, but it was a difficult balance to maintain at times.

"Yeah, I don't know what kind of person you are, but I'm not one that would be happy to leave anyone behind." She was a little impressed by how Miranda didn't seem to flinch at her flaring biotics.

"Shepard, everyone knew the risks. If we lose you, this whole project was for nothing." _That_ made Sophia uneasy. Her life was _never_ more important than the lives of others.

"Shepard, we _barely_ made it out. If they're not here now, they're not coming," Jacob told her.

She grimaced for a few seconds before nodding. "_Fine_. But, I've gotta tell you guys, you're not doing a great job of changing my mind about Cerberus..."

* * *

"Okay, Commander, I'm going to ask you some questions, just to make sure that everything's okay."

Sophia rolled her eyes a little, folding her arms. "I'm fine. Just ask Jacob." Jacob looked a little uncomfortable at that, causing Shepard to give him a pointed look. "Come on, man, don't do this to me."

He sighed before turning to Miranda. "She _is_ fine, for the most part. But she she would occasionally lose her train of thought."

Shepard rolled her eyes. "It was _twice_."

Miranda raised an eyebrow. "Did anything trigger these incidents?"

Shepard shook her head. "It's nothing. Just that... when I was... _asleep_, I dreamt."

"You _dreamt_?" Miranda asked, her eyebrows shooting up into her hair.

"Yeah. I can't really remember the dreams but... they seemed to linger. I would remember part of the dream but it would slip away before I could finish what I was saying. Surely you've confused a dream with something that really happened before?"

Miranda nodded. "Yes, but you weren't showing neural activity for most of the time you were under, and you certainly never reached a REM state. You were too heavily sedated. You shouldn't have been having dreams."

Shepard shrugged. "Whether I _should_ have or not is irrelevant, it happened. But I'm fine otherwise."

"I'm still going to ask the questions. What is your full name?"

"Sophia Shepard."

"What about your middle name?"

Sophia narrowed her eyes at that. "That's classified information, I'm afraid."

Jacob frowned at that. "Why?"

Sophia sighed. "Because when I was younger, that was the name I went by. I don't particularly like reliving my past."

"But it's still important for us to make sure that your memories are intact," Miranda prompted.

"Fine. Hera. My middle name is Hera. That was the name the local gangs and cops knew me by on Earth. Those who knew their Ancient Greek mythology found it fitting."

"Why?" Miranda asked.

Sophia had to take a deep breath. She _hated_ thinking about her past. "Because I had a reputation for looking after the younger kids. Especially the girls. Making sure that no one took advantage. I was lucky to be born into a military family. I was handy enough in combat to be able to look after not just myself." She didn't want to think about what had happened to those girls once the Alliance had 'saved' her. Tommy had promised to do what he could, but she knew that it probably hadn't been much. "Are we done with the questions yet?"

"Not quite. I need to know that you remember your life after joining the Alliance."

"What do you want to know?"

"Akuze. What happened?"

Sophia gave a disbelieving snort at that, her biotics flaring a little. "Oh, you have some balls, lady, I will give you that. _Cerberus_ happened. You set us up, we were attacked by thresher maws, and all of my squad died."

"Except for you. You managed to survive."

Sophia shook her head. "I should have died..."

Miranda frowned a little at her response. "Why didn't you?"

"A random act of kindness." Sophia wasn't going to give them anything more. She didn't feel like telling a pro-human terrorist group that she was in love with a turian.

"Alright. What about Torfan?"

Shepard shrugged, trying to look as nonchalant as possible. "What about it?"

"Reports show that one of your team members was injured. He was delirious when they brought him back around. Claiming that you had attacked him and aided a captive turian in escaping. A turian that you then went on to work with once the war ended."

"Is there a point to this?" Shepard asked. "Cameron was unhinged from the start. And, yes, I worked with Garrus _after_ the war. I also worked with Nihlus. And Tom. And an asari, a krogan, and a quarian. I don't have a problem working with other races."

"Apparently..."

Sophia had to stop her biotics from flaring further. She was getting sick and tired of this bitch's attitude.

"Five minutes until we dock," Jacob told her, seemingly noticing how desperate she was to kill the woman in front of her.

Sophia nodded, before frowning a little. One question had been at the forefront of her mind since she had awoken, but she was a little afraid to voice it. "So, how _exactly_ did you bring me back?"

"I doubt you'd understand most of the-"

Sophia cut her off. "Then dumb it down for me and tell me anyway."

Miranda sighed a little. "Fine. Your brain was intact. We implanted what was left of your body with cybernetics and stimulated the growth of what was left. Since we were regenerating most of you anyway, we also updated your genetic enhancements."

"My what?"

Miranda raised an eyebrow. "Your genetic enhancements. You know, increased strength, coordination, stamina, biotics, and dextro tolerance. Of course, yours were based on thirty year old technology, so we used the opportunity to update them. You should be able to use your biotics for longer before becoming exhausted. You'll also be able to process dextro proteins."

"Yeah, I don't _have_ genetic enhancements."

Miranda shook her head, passing Sophia pad. "Your mother was part of an Alliance Black Ops program meant to enhance soldiers to allow for long-term infiltration missions on turian colonies. They would need to be extremely capable, as well as able to find nutrition in the environment."

Sophia sighed through gritted teeth. The data on the pad could have easily been forged, but it would explain some things.

_Is that what's in Nonna's attic? Files on what they did to Mama and me?_

Her thoughts were interrupted by them docking with the station. She left the shuttle as soon as she could, only to be confronted by an anxiously pacing turian. His red armour and dark eyes were instantly recognisable, although he seemed _older_. She realised that she very much thought of Tom as _young_. Although she realised that he must now be about twenty eight.

"Hey there, tesoro," She said, grinning, as she quickly made her way over to him, pulling him into a hug. She pulled away after a few seconds, though. "Sorry, turians don't like physical contact, I keep on forgetting. I just haven't seen a friendly face in a while."

He shook his head, a little disbelieving. "It's fine... _Shepard_. My mom was human, remember? And so is my sister."

She looked a little worried at the mention of Kira. "Did you ever find your sister?"

Tom shrugged, his gaze dropping. "The Council sent Garrus after her, but I never heard if he found her or not. I cut all ties not long after that. I couldn't risk Cerberus tying me to... anyone."

"So you left..." Sophia trailed off, but Tom knew what she meant.

"I couldn't risk her. I had to keep her out of this..."

Sophia could clearly see the pain in his eye, slicing at her heart. "Oh, tesoro, I am _so_ sorry."

He frowned a little. "When did you start calling me 'tesoro'?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I give everyone little pet names. Kira seemed a little... wierd about hers, too."

"What's hers?"

"Piccina. Why?"

Tom smiled, shaking his head. "Ah, it's nothing. Just... a funny coincidence."

Sophia shook her head, giving him an understanding smile. "I think you're avoiding the topic."

Tom nodded before glancing over to the two Cerberus operatives behind her. "You're right, but not here. That would kind of defeat the point."

She nodded. "Alright. But definitely later. I've got some catching up to do."

Tom smiled at that, nodding, before Miranda interrupted them. "Commander, The Illusive Man is waiting to speak with you."

Sophia raised her eyebrows at Tom. "'_The Illusive Man_'?"

Tom smirked at her tone. "The big boss. You should feel privileged, I haven't so much as seen the guy."

Sophia raised an eyebrow. "Right. 'Privileged'. Bastard'll be lucky if I don't just kill him."

Tom growled in agreement. "Trust me, after what they did to me and Kira... let's just say that TIM is at the top of my shit list."

Sophia frowned a little at that. "I thought you didn't know why your sister hated Cerberus."

Tom shrugged. "I found out."

"Wait, is that what you two fought about? The day she ran off?"

Tom sighed, looking a little ashamed as his gaze dropped once more. "Yeah... it's... I'm not proud of how I ripped into her but running away was an overreaction on her part. I think she thought that the thing that happened to her and our mom's relationship would happen to us. It scared to enough to send her packing without a backwards glance."

Sophia gave him a sympathetic smile. "We'll find her. I promise."

Tom nodded. "It's okay, I think I know where to look. But, for now, you probably shouldn't keep TIM waiting."

"I love how you call him Tim. I am totally using that when I speak to him," She joked, shaking her head, before heading to the room that an impatient Miranda was signalling towards.

* * *

Sophia had to give TIM credit for his dramatic flair as she watched the hologram form around her.

"_Illusive Man_, I hear you're responsible for bringing me back. Was there an actual reason or do you just get a kick out of playing God?"

"Straight to the point as always, Shepard," He replied. "Just like your mother."

She gave him a cold glare at that. "Okay, let's get one thing straight; don't try to play mind games with me. It won't work. All it will achieve is pissing me off. Which is something you're really going to want to avoid."

He nodded, seemingly unaffected by her temperament. "Alright then, I'll be straight with you. Human colonies are disappearing."

"So call the Alliance. Don't resurrect a dead woman."

"The Alliance is too busy trying to make _friends_ with the other species. Their resources are too scattered after the war. You were the only one who managed to do anything productive after the war. The Alliance is crippled by trying to maintain diplomatic relations with other species. People are disappearing and they can't help."

Sophia sighed, all too familiar with how inept the Alliance could be at times. "You do know that it was those 'diplomatic relations' that allowed me to succeed in taking down Saren? My ground team was mostly comprised of non-human members."

The Illusive man nodded. "I am well aware of that. As much as I would rather not work with other species... I cannot deny that it would have taken us many more months, perhaps years, to get you up and about again without Tom's help. I will leave you in charge of who you wish to recruit, although I have prepared dossiers of potential recruits."

She rolled her eyes. "Look, I haven't even agreed to work with you yet. All I currently have is your word that colonies are being abducted and, I'm not gonna lie, I don't exactly have a lot of faith in 'your word'."

"A colony was attacked just recently. Freedom's Progress. All I'm asking is that you and Tom investigate. I'll even send Miranda and Jacob to assist you."

"You mean babysit us? Stop treating me like a fool. You're not doing yourself any favours," She told him before walking off, deliberately not confirming whether or not she would actually go to Freedom's Progress, but he didn't ask, seemingly confident enough that he had convinced her.

_Cocky bastard_...

* * *

"So, what are we expecting to find?" Sophia asked, checking her weapons. Her question was aimed at Tom - she was determined to act as if the two Cerberus operatives didn't exist - but it was Miranda who answered her.

"The other colonies were all empty when we arrived."

"So then why bother? What are we expecting to find?" Sophia rolled her eyes a little at having to repeat herself. Was this woman really that dense?

Jacob stepped in before Miranda could make things worse for herself. "By the time we arrived at the other sites, scavengers and patrol ships had already been and gone. This is the first time we'll be getting there first. Hopefully we'll be able to find some information that will help us figure out who's doing this."

Sophia nodded. "Okay, good. Now, I want to make this very clear; _I_ am in charge. Not you," she indicated towards Miranda, "and not TIM. If I am compromised in any way, Tom takes over. Are we clear?"

Jacob nodded straight away, but Miranda was a bit more hesitant. Sophia sighed a little. If human colonies really were vanishing, she knew that she would be hard-pressed to get the help and resources she needed to stop it elsewhere. She would _try_, but she couldn't really see a way around working with Cerberus. She was sick and tired of being boxed in by organisations that felt as if they had some sort of ownership of her. She had never _asked_ to be taken from the streets be the Alliance, she had never _asked_ Cerberus to bring her back, and yet they both expected her to repay them in full for their 'kindness'. Sophia didn't like owing people, but she also didn't like feeling trapped by fabricated obligations.

She did what she did because she wanted to help people. Not because she felt she owed the Alliance any favours.

As soon as they left the shuttle, she could sense that something was wrong, her biotics crackling instinctively.

"It's like a ghost town," Tom remarked, his own biotics flaring.

She nodded. "Yeah. Keep an eye out... I don't think we're alone here..."

She felt more than a little thankful that the Cerberus operatives decided to keep their mouths shut. It made it much easier for her to pretend that they just weren't there. That they were somewhere other than bothering her.

Preferably inside of a volcano, but she would be open to other suggestions.

"Shepard," Tom called, throwing a blast of biotic energy towards some advancing mechs. They quickly dispatched of them, leaving her suspicions confirmed.

"Yep. We are definitely not alone."

"Whoever's here is probably terrified. These mechs have been programed to attack anything that moves," Tom told her.

She nodded. "Yeah... but you would think that they would have helped to stop the people who attacked. But then they would all just be heaps of scrap metal."

Tom shrugged. "The Collectors might have dampened the radio signals that activate them. Although that might mean that they're just on a delay, not that anyone is still here to command them."

"Wait, Collectors? What are they?"

Tom frowned. "Shit... I skipped ahead, didn't I? Yeah, shit, I think this is the mission where you found out that it was the Collectors attacking the colonies..."

Sophia shook her head. "You know, I'm sure you could just tell me exactly what I have to do and cut out loads of the middle crap."

"Well, yeah, but where's the fun in that."

"Wow, two years without your girlfriend has made you downright _snippy_," She joked. "So, what are Collectors, anyway?"

He shrugged. "Big, bad space goblins as far as I can tell. No one's ever seen one and most people think they don't exist. They mostly trade technology for slaves and then take them to their evil lair beyond the Omega-4 relay and perform experiments on them."

"Sounds ominous."

"Yeah, ominous pretty much sums it up."

"So, why don't we just got through the Omega-4 relay, kick some Collector ass, and be done with it?"

"Because no ship that's gone through the relay has ever returned."

Sophia sighed a little at that. "Then I guess we'll have to be the first..."

Just as she said that, they headed into one of the buildings, only to be confronted by a group of quarians, all pointing their guns at them.

"Cerberus?! What are they doing here?" One spat, clearly itching to fire.

"Hey, we don't want any trouble," Sophia told them, holstering her own weapon, allowing her biotics to dissipate.

"Wait, _Shepard_?"

Sophia couldn't help but send a smile Tom's way, his shocked expression turning it into a grin, as Tali approached them. "Hey, Tali. Long time, no see. At least, that's what they tell me."

Tali nodded. "Tom said that they would... but I guess I never really believed..."

"Hey, you should know better than that," Tom told her, drawing her attention to the turian.

"_Tom_..." She breathed. Sophia expected her to rush forward towards him, and so was surprised when she remained still.

"Tom? Isn't he the turian that-"

"That's enough, Praza!" Tali cut the other quarian off, before turning back to Shepard. "Look, I trust that its you, because I trust Tom's judgement. If he's here, then I'm sure it's you. But... you have to understand that we don't exactly have any love for Cerberus."

Shepard nodded. "Completely understandable, but I feel like there's more to this than just Cerberus being racist assholes."

Praza stepped in at that. "They tried to attack the Idenna."

"_Tried_ being the operative word," Tali countered. "Tom gave us enough info to help prevent it."

Miranda scowled at that. "I _knew_ that it was to do with you!"

Tom smirked, shrugging. "You could never prove it, though."

Miranda seemed to be seething at that. "_No_, as far as I could tell, you never sent any outgoing communications while you were with us." Tom, Shepard and Tali exchanged knowing looks at that.

Praza spoke up once more. "But he failed to prevent them from attacking in the first place."

Sophia looked between the quarians and Tom, wondering just what he had done to deserve this. It seemed to go deeper than just working with Cerberus, and from the concerned look on Tom's face, he was just as confused. Tali seemed to be keeping a lid on the information. Trying to protect Tom, Sophia assumed.

"Okay, regardless of what did or didn't happen, we're both here now. So, what are a squad of quarian marines doing on an abandoned human colony?"

"There was a young quarian here on pilgrimage, Veetor. We think he's the one arming the mechs. We're here to find him and bring him home."

Sophia frowned. "I'm a little surprised a human colony would allow a quarian to live here."

Tali shrugged. "The Council have been quick to shun the humans after the War ended, much like they were to shun the quarians after the Geth Uprising, and the krogan after the Rebellions. We dregs of the galaxy have to stick together and quarian trade routes allow the Alliance to expand further. We've developed quite the working relationship over the past couple of years."

"Okay then, well, we'll help you search for him."

"We don't need help from Cerberus, or from _him_." Again, Praza seemed to glare at Tom through his helmet, earning him a confused look from both the turian and Shepard.

"Praza, if Commander Shepard offers to help you, you damn well take it," Tali told him, seemingly shutting him up.

"We should probably split up, we'll cover more ground that way," Sophia suggested.

Tali nodded. "Just be careful, Shepard. Veetor is... nervous. We think he has suit damage as well. He may not be... cooperative."

"She means he's unstable," Praza interjected.

_Yes, thank you, Captain Tact,_ Sophia thought to herself, having to hold back an eye roll.

"Well, we'll see you again once we find him," Sophia told them before heading out. As soon as they were out of earshot, she turned to Tom. "Okay, what did you do?"

He shrugged. "I honestly have no idea."

She frowned a little. "Did you leave on good terms? With Tali, I mean. She didn't seem pissed. Although, she didn't exactly seem happy, either."

Tom looked more than a little lost at that. "I don't know... Shepard, she understood why I had to leave. We talked about it and it was all fine. No arguments or anything... I just... don't know what I did..."

Sophia placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You really love her, don't you?"

He nodded. "More than anything..."

* * *

Sophia overloaded the screens in front of Veetor, finally drawing the quarian's attention.

"You... how did you survive the swarms?"

"We're not survivors, Veetor," She told him kindly. "We just got here. Can you tell us what happened?"

He nodded. "The swarms came. They took all of the humans. I hid. They didn't see me."

"His suit probably protected him," Tom commented softly as Veetor activated the screen in front of him, showing them footage of the colonists being taken.

"Are they Collectors?" Sophia asked.

Tom nodded. "It's a safe bet."

"We should take him back to a Cerberus facility, find out exactly what he knows."

Sophia was just about to cut into the Cerberus woman for the stupid idea, but Tali interrupted as she entered the room. "No way! Veetor needs medical attention. Shepard, _please_."

"I was just about to tell her that myself, Tali. Miranda, he needs to be treated by his own people. Taking him with us will only traumatise him further."

"Thank you," Tali said, clearly relieved. "You can have the data from his omni-tool. It should help you."

"Having you back on the team would be a bigger help. I could use one more friendly face."

"Shepard... I wish that I could, but I have responsibilities that I can't abandon. Maybe once I'm done... but not now."

Sophia nodded. "It's okay, I understand, Tali. And, as I told you repeatedly on the Normandy, it's _Sophia_."

Tali smiled at that. "Now I _really_ know it's you. Okay, _Sophia_, I promise once I'm done with my mission, I'll give you a call."

"You'd better."

"Shepard, before we leave..." Tom started.

Sophia nodded in understanding. "Of course, tesoro," She told him before turning to the two Cerberus operatives. "Okay, out." She was a little more kind to Veetor, shepherding him gently from the room.

Once they had left, Tom awkwardly turned to Tali. "So..."

"Yeah," She replied quietly.

"You seem good and stuff..."

"You too."

He frowned a little, trying to figure out how to say what he was thinking, before eventually sighing. "I missed you," He told her simply, letting his subharmonics convey his inner turmoil by her apparent distance.

She instantly stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him, catching him a little by surprise. "Oh, _Tom_, I missed you too, I just... I couldn't talk openly in front of the others."

He wrapped his arms around her tight, although he didn't miss the way she seemed to hesitate a bit before melting into his touch. "I'm sorry that I couldn't contact you... I just didn't want anyone to tie you to Cerberus, or to have Cerberus find out about you. They were pretty keen to keep me locked up and unable to cause them trouble."

"Are you still... do they know who you are? Will they try to lock you up again?" Her voice was saturated with concern for him, tugging at his heartstrings, as she pulled away a little to look at him directly.

"I'm pretty sure that they don't know, but you can never be certain with Cerberus. But I don't think Mom would let them get to me. At least, not without a fight."

"So, does she know?"

He shook his head. "No. At least, I don't think so."

She nodded. "I suppose if she did, I would have been getting more of a I-can't-believe-you're-dating-my-only-son type of vibe from her," She joked, before realising what she had said. "I mean, assuming that we're still... I mean... I still, you know, love you and whatever, because I meant what I said two years ago about waiting."

He was silent for a moment or two, too stunned to speak. "Tali, I spent every day of the last two years wishing that I was by your side. If anything, I think I might actually be _more_ in love with you."

"Same," She told him, her tone informing him that she was blushing beneath the mask.

"Are you sure that you can't come with us? I just... I don't really want to spend any more time away from you than I have to."

"Me neither, but if I just leave with you, I think my dad would have an aneurysm."

Tom raised a browplate at that. "Tali, no offense to your father, he's a great guy, but he's hardly a... an involved parent."

She paused a little before answering him. "You're right, he wasn't. But a little while ago I... something happened and he sort of realised that we weren't really close, so he decided to become more involved in my life." She didn't sound too happy about it.

"That sounds..."

"Irritating? His attitude would have been acceptable when I was a teenager, but I'm a full grown woman, capable of making my own decisions. He almost stopped me from helping out the marines. I had to explain to him that I had to keep my mind off of... well, that I had to keep busy."

"I may be a little biased but, maybe it's time for a little rebellion."

She laughed a little at that, but shook her head. "No. I _will_ join back up with you guys, but I'll do it properly."

Tom smiled, but it dropped a little as he tried to figure out how to word his question. "Tali, is it really just about leaving, or about leaving with me? Did I do something wrong? Is it because I was working with Cerberus?"

She shook her head. "No, of course not. Everyone knows that it was an infiltration mission."

"Then what did I do? I didn't miss the way your squad was towards me."

"That wasn't... it's nothing."

He sighed. "Please don't so this, Tali. Don't shut me out."

"I'm not, I just... it's just a side-effect of my father being over-protective. It's not even really to do with you. Just know that I'm fine and that I still love you." His heart soared once more at the words. "I really do. I just need to make sure I have the proper clearance before joining you and... _Sophia_."

"Alright. I've waited two years, a few more weeks won't kill me. I just... I love you too and... I missed you. I know I've already said that but, I've missed you _alot_."

She grinned beneath her mask at that. "Don't worry. I'll join back up with you as _soon_ as I can. You won't have to wait much longer, my love. I promise."

He pressed his forehead to hers through her visor, still grinning. "Don't make me wait too long, amore mio."

"I wouldn't dream of it..."

* * *

Garrus kept his eyes on the bridge, knowing that another probably wouldn't try to get though for another hour or so, but wanting to remain vigilant regardless, despite the heaviness of his eyelids. Things had been getting worse over the past few days. He knew that he should probably rouse Kira, in order to switch shifts with her, but he knew that she was as bad as Sophia for needing sleep.

Regardless, he knew that he wouldn't last much longer without stimulants or sleep, and he didn't was to risk running out of the former.

"Kira. Come on, Kira. Time to shoot some mercs." He had learnt that jostling her awake wasn't a good plan. His wrist still hurt.

She groaned, rolling over with her blanket tucked tight under chin. "Too early. Go wake up Tom or Mom."

He rolled his eyes, knowing that Kira tended to linger in her half-dream state for a few moments. "Come on, Kira. Get up."

"No, Dad. Piss off."

He raised a browplate at that. He supposed that if her father had been turian, it wasn't too surprising that she had mixed them up in her groggy state, although it didn't tend to linger this long. "Kira, really, I need to get back to the bridge."

She sat up at that, frowning. "Shit. Sorry..."

He shook his head. "No problem. You seem to spend the first few moments of everyday confused about where you are."

She nodded, still frowning. "Right, but can we forget the bit about me calling you 'Dad'? That's just embarrassing..."

"It's already forgotten."

"God, that's like calling your school teacher 'Mom'..." She waited until he left the room, before letting out a relieved breath. He had, apparently, fallen for it, but she didn't know how many more slip-ups she could cover up before he figured it out.

She was still trying to figure out just how many slip-ups and close calls there had been over the past few months when she met him out at the sniper perch where they had set up.

"Hey," He greeted, frowning a little. "You finally decided to stop covering up your markings?"

She was a little caught out by that, before she realised that, in her distracted state, she had simply forgotten. "Well, I just forgot but... I guess there really isn't much point anymore, is there?"

He shook his head before looking over her markings. "They're for an outer colony, aren't they?"

Kira shrugged. "Not sure."

"But your brother has different markings. From one of the Palaven districts."

"Yeah, so did I. I changed them when I bonded to Caius, though."

He frowned a little at that. "So, you downgraded?"

She rolled her eyes. "Typical Palaven attitude. It was less about the markings themselves, and more about creating my own identity..."

"Something separate from your genetic engineering?"

Her eyebrows flew up at that. "How did you-"

"Mordin was worried. He thought that you seemed especially upset. Of course, next time I saw you..."

She sighed. "I was covered in Lantar's blood... you know I keep on wondering why he did it; why he sacrificed himself instead of just _giving_ them the information. Because, as far as I can tell, he did just that in my timeline. And the only thing I can think of that's changed is my being here. With my stupid turian catnip pheromones..."

"Turian what?"

She shook her head. "My genetic engineering is designed to help me infiltrate turian colonies. I'm designed from the genes up to be a spy. Everyone knows one of the best skills you can have when working intelligence is seduction. So it was coded right down to my genes. It makes sense but... it's just sick and twisted."

"If it's any consolation, _I_ don't think of you like that."

She cringed away from the thought that he might ever. "_Good_. And neither does Tom, despite the fact that we're not _really_ genetically related. A couple of swapped gene sequences don't make us any more related than two members of the same race. But, I suppose that's built-in. I just... hate that I'm just a product of their tampering..."

Garrus shook his head at that. "You keep on saying that this is who you are but, what about how you were raised? Or your experiences? Who you are as a person isn't a result of what they did. It's a result of your _life_. You're a good person, Kira, no matter what _you_ tell yourself. You pretend to not care because it's easier than admitting that, deep down, you want nothing more than for other people to see that you're a _good person_. And they do. I can see it. And Soph would always tell me how she could see it, and just wished that you could. You know, Sidonis told me that he always admired how you would throw yourself into danger to help complete strangers. At first he thought you did it for the glory, but then he saw you shy away from it. He liked _you_, not your genes. As does Nihlus. He cared about _you_."

She shrugged at that, keeping her gaze on the floor. It was a few moments before she responded. "You should probably get some sleep."

He sighed a little before nodding, heading back towards the sleeping quarters.

"Garrus?" She called back, just before he left the room. "Thanks. I needed that..."

"No problem."


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: Gotta love my brain. "Oh hey, you're trying to do some work? Here's a boat-load of inspiration for the next chapter..."**

**Okay, I don't want to sound angry/defensive, I'm sure you guys are all awesome and wouldn't do this but I know that people tend to get their knickers in a twist about certain headcanons, calling 'bad science', so I just want to make one thing perfectly clear: I am a chemistry student. Unless you're an MSci student in a biology based course, or you already have a chemistry/biology Masters degree, don't try to correct my science. Please. (I'm sorry physicists and engineers, but this is usually a biology issue.)**

**Sorry about that, I really don't mean to get all 'giant squid of anger' about it, but I've had people bitch about it before and, you know, this is just for fun, but I _do_ thoroughly research everything biology-related that I write, and, even if I don't go into detail, everything has an explanation in my headcanon. (I blame tumblr for this, it seems disproportionately full of haters...)**

**But, I'm sure you guys wouldn't hate on me about this stuff, because you're awesome.**

**Super thanks once again to everyone who reads this, with double thanks to everyone who has faved and followed, and triple super double-rainbow awesome thanks with double sprinkles on top for Zombie Pixel, 1054SS325MP, NonSolus and DeltaAgent for the awesomely epic reviews!**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 17 - **** I feel the weight of the world bearing down on me. A future I don't want. So I keep running as fast as I can... anywhere... nowhere.**

"So, what do you think?"

Shepard regarded Tom momentarily before letting her gaze sweep the CIC of the new Normandy once more. "Honestly? It's a little bit creepy. Bringing me back from the dead? Rebuilding my ship? I think TIM has a bit of a problem..."

Tom laughed a little at that. "So, are you just straight-up refusing to talk to him now?"

Sophia nodded. "Yep. Miranda can liaise. I don't need to actually speak to him. I figure it's better for my blood pressure that way."

"What if you want to yell at him?"

"Then I probably shouldn't be talking to him anyway. Nothing productive will come of it. Plus, if she actually has a use, I'll be less inclined to kill Miranda."

"Fair enough. So, any ideas on which dossier to pursue first?"

She shook her head. "Omega's closest and we should probably pick up The Professor asap."

Tom shifted a little at that. "Actually, I think that we should pick up Archangel and Valkyrie first."

Sophia raised an eyebrow. "The vigilantes? Any particular reason?"

He just gave a knowing smile. "You'll see."

She sighed. "And I thought your sister was the one with the penchant for mystery..."

* * *

"Do they seem to be getting cockier to you?" Kira asked as she took down the last of the latest of the last wave of mercs.

Garrus shrugged. "These last few waves have been freelancers. I guess they're sick of losing their own people."

"Well, to be fair, they probably don't have that many left. We do kind of kick ass."

Garrus couldn't help but smile at that. Despite their predicament, Kira actually seemed cheerier in the past few days than he had seen her before. Something for which he was glad. He blamed Sophia and her tendency to treat Kira and Tom like family but, despite the fact that they were the same age, he felt protective of the human woman.

"Yeah, headshot, bitch!" Kira yelled as she found one last merc, trying to hide.

"You know that this is an actual, real life combat?" He joked.

"Stop spoiling my fun," She countered, before inspecting her rifle, sighing a little. "She's wearing out..."

"How long have you had the rifle?"

"Years. My dad gave her to me just after I started working with the Council. She was a little strained before I even ended up in the past, but patching her up here is a bit more of a pain in the ass..."

"Yeah, I'm surprised you haven't been complaining more about being trapped in the past. I don't think I could stand being trapped, what? Fifty years ago?"

She shook her head. "Nice try. I'm not telling you how far in the future I'm from."

"I don't see why not. It's not as if it'll change anything."

She sighed a little at that. "What if I'm from not that far in the future? What if I was born in the next five years? I would know stuff about the immediate future first-hand. Are you telling me that you wouldn't want to know stuff?"

He paused for a moment, only for his mind to instantly flood with questions that he would want answers to. "You know what? You're right."

She nodded. "That's why Shepard always kept questions and speculation to a minimum. Everyone _thinks_ they want to know the future, but they really don't. It's like when you find leaked info to a vid you're really looking forward to. You regret the information as soon as you learn it, because you would have prefered to just watch the vid."

"Are you... Do you have keep quiet about stuff you know, all of the time?"

"Sometimes," She admitted, returning her attention to the bridge.

"Sounds... lonely, I guess."

She nodded. "Sometimes," She repeated. "But it's for the best. Some information is best left buried..."

* * *

Shepard felt grimy the second she stepped onto Omega. It was a shit-hole, that much was obvious.

"Am I going to get any trouble here? For being human, I mean?" She asked Tom. She was determined to act as if the two Cerberus operatives shadowing them simply weren't there.

Tom shook his head. "The end of the war has resulted in a lot of human mercs, and all mercs will eventually come to Omega."

Before Sophia could reply, they were approached by a nervous looking salarian.

"Hey, you're new here, aren't you? I can always tell..."

Sophia raised an eyebrow at that. However, before she could respond, a batarian walked up to them. She had only seen batarians a few time before. They didn't exactly seem to be a common feature in Council space, much like quarians and krogans.

"Get lost," He told the salarian before turning to Sophia. "Aria wants to see you."

Sophia raised an eyebrow. "Aria?"

Tom sighed. "Damn it, I was hoping we wouldn't have to deal with her," He muttered.

The batarian ignored him. "She's waiting for you in Afterlife."

Sophia folded her arms. "Yeah, I'm good. But tell her I said 'hi'."

The batarian didn't so much as twitch. "Afterlife. Now."

Sophia sighed, rolling her eyes. "Fine," She agreed, reluctantly, before turning to Tom. "So, you've dealt with this _Aria_ before?"

"Not in this timeline."

"Yeah, asari are long lived, aren't they? So, what do you know about her?"

He sighed. "Just that I really hate dealing with her..."

* * *

"You know, if you're scanning for weapons, you're doing a piss-poor job," Shepard informed Aria as her goons continued to scan her.

"They're verifying your identity. That could be anyone wearing your face."

"They're clean," One of the goons informed the asari, before allowing Shepard and Tom to pass. She had decided to keep Miranda and Jacob out of the way, to prevent things from getting too crowded. Plus, she didn't trust them to not say something that would fuck up her chances of finding the vigilantes or the Professor.

"So, Shepard. What business does a dead Alliance hero have on Omega?"

"I'm looking for a couple of people. I figured you might be able to help me."

"Depends on who you're looking for," Aria replied, her gaze quickly slipping from Shepard to land on Tom. "And who's asking," She added in a sultry tone, moving closer to the turian. Tom seemed to stiffen up at the asari's proximity, clearly more than a little uncomfortable.

Sophia raised an eyebrow. "Aria, leave the boy alone."

"He's _hardly_ a boy," She purred, before noting the warning look Shepard was giving her. "Fine. But, I am much less inclined to help you now."

"All I need to know is where Archangel and Valkyrie are."

"You want them dead too?"

Shepard shook her head, frowning. "Are they in trouble?"

"Trouble? Shepard, they pissed off every major merc organisation in the Terminous. 'Trouble' is an understatement."

"What happened?"

"The mercs got sick of them making their lives difficult, so they joined forces. Although, Archangel and Valkyrie seem to be one step ahead as always. They appear to have gotten the rest of their team out just in time. Now it's just the two of them against an army."

Sophia couldn't help but be silently impressed by that. "They sound like exactly the kind of people I need."

"Well, aren't you interesting."

"Do you know anything about them?"

Aria shrugged. "Valkyrie came here a little over two years ago. She seemed to have some kind of vendetta that she was taking out on the mercs, although she knew to stay away from me. Smart girl, that one. About six weeks later, her MO suddenly got a lot more organised. That was about the time she started working with a turian male. Archangel. The two of them have become infamous. If you make your own rules, which everyone here does, they make your life a living hell."

"Any idea how to get to them?"

The asari shook her head. "The merc groups have been trying for days now. They're recruiting downstairs. Feel free to waste their time instead of mine."

Sophia nodded, taking the hint to leave. "Thanks for the info."

Once they were out of earshot, she turned to Tom. "So, does she hit on you every time you deal with her?"

Tom nodded, ruefully. "Yep."

Sophia paused in thought before continuing on. "She's not a bad looking asari..."

He didn't miss the suggestion in her tone. "Can we just drop it? Please?"

She smirked at that. "I knew it."

He groaned, looking a little ashamed. He really didn't want to be having this conversation with his mother, whether she was aware of that fact or not. "Look, it was one time and I really needed that info."

"Because, you know, _that_ makes it sound less whorish."

He glared at her, thankful for the millionth time that she didn't know of their relationship. He was well aware of what his parents had thought of his attitude towards women, and that was just the tip of the iceberg that they had known about. "Again, not an appropriate conversation topic. Don't make me call 'hostile work environment'."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm just teasing, tesoro. Now, what are the chances that we can sneak off to find these vigilantes without Cerberus noticing?"

"Good, but I don't particularly like our chances with just the two of us. Things could get real messy, real fast."

She sighed "Fine. We'll go get Barbie and... Ken? No, Jacob doesn't really seem like a Ken. Okay, maybe he doesn't get a nickname..."

Tom smirked at the mention of Barbie. "Kira had a Barbie doll, you know?"

"Just the one?"

He nodded. "Yeah. She cut off all its hair and gave it tattoos with a marker pen."

Sophia grinned at that. "Did she get in trouble?"

He shook his head. "No, Mom thought that it was a brilliant display of 'artistic individuality'. She was never a fan of Barbie, either."

"You know, whenever you tell me stories like this, it seems like Kira and your mother were really close."

"They were."

Sophia frowned a little. "So then what happened?"

"Kira trusted our mom and when that trust was broken she... well, it hurt her. I think neither of them really knew how to talk to each other after that."

"And you were caught in the middle," She observed.

Tom shrugged. "I guess..."

"I'm sorry," She replied, not sure what else she could say. "Come on, let's go find these vigilantes..."

* * *

"Okay, so this just occurred to me."

"What did?" Kira asked her father as he passed her a ration bar.

"Well, if you're in the past, have you ever thought about looking up your ancestors?"

She practically choked on her food at that point, settling for raising an eyebrow. "And say what? 'Hi, I'm your daughter from the future. Nice to meet you'?"

He raised a browplate at that. "So, if it would be your parents, you can't be from that far in the future."

"_Dammit_!" She shook her head, realising her slip. "_Fine_, I'm from about thirty years in the future. Happy?"

He frowned. "Wait, only _thirty_?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Tom and I were born a few years from now."

"Wow, you really _could_ meet your parents..."

Her gaze dropped. "Back when they were young and cool? What would I say to them?"

He shrugged. "Well, what would you want to say? You can't tell me that you'd have nothing you'd want to tell them."

Her eyes didn't move from the floor. "I... don't want to talk about it."

He nodded, his gaze drifting to the bridge once more. "I think they're getting ready to send another wave."

She kept quiet, readying her rifle once more.

* * *

"You know, maybe they would stare less if you, you know, wore _more_," Sophia told Miranda, delighting a little as the Cerberus Operative seemed disgusted by the lingering looks the mercs were giving her. Especially the aliens. Humans were close enough to batarians for them to admire her... _assets_. Plus, Sophia figured four eyes would irritate more than two.

"This combat suit was specifically designed-"

"Yeah, yeah, we get it. Fancy catsuit is fancy," Sophia interrupted, rolling her eyes. "Is she always like this?" She asked Tom and Jacob.

Jacob just gave a look that said '_I-am-not-touching-that_', while Tom smirked. "Yeah, she is _always_ like this."

Sophia shook her head, smirking at the glare Miranda was giving Tom as they walked through towards the bridge. "Doesn't this seem like overkill for two people?" She asked, glancing at the groups of mercs.

"Depends on who those two people are," Tom replied.

"Yeah, do you actually _know_ who they are?"

He shrugged. "I have a hunch."

"Care to let me in on it?"

He shook his head. "Non-interference, remember?"

"Oh, come on. I thought that was Kira's protocol."

"Yeah, and it was for a reason," He told her as they rounded a corner, finding the heavy mech.

"Alright, time to get hacking."

"Think you can manage it?" He asked.

She shrugged. "I can try. Why? You have any secret, amazing tech skills?"

He shook his head. "No, that is all my sister. I'm just the muscle."

Sophia gave him a sympathetic look. "We'll find her. I promise."

He nodded. "I know. If anything, I think she'll find us..."

* * *

"_Dammit_!" Kira hissed, a shot grazing her shoulder.

"Might be a good time to put your helmet on," Garrus said, earning him a glare.

"You don't say?"

"No need for sarcasm."

She sighed, making up for the brief break she took to put on her helmet by firing her rifle as fast as it would allow. Garrus could swear he heard the weapon whine in response. "They're upping the numbers in each wave. If they keep going up like this, we'll be outnumbered by eight tonight."

Garrus raised a browplate beneath his helmet. "I don't think you're giving us enough credit."

"Oh, I was being generous. Eight is the point at which we have less than a five percent chance of survival. We'll probably be dead long before that."

"I thought you liked impossible odds."

"I do. I'm pretty sure we'll be fine, but... I guess the odds have never been quite this bad. Or drawn out..."

"It's the worst, isn't it? Having time to think, I mean."

She nodded. "Time to go over every single regret..."

"Got many?"

"The usual. The future I lost when I got trapped here, the fact that I've had three years and every opportunity to make some sort of life for myself, something _I_ wanted instead of something I felt obligated to do, and didn't... You?"

"Not being there."

Kira didn't need him to explain further. He wished that he had been there, on the Normandy. If for no other reason, so that Sophia wouldn't have been alone when she died.

"I would tell them that it all works out," She admitted softly, earning her a questioning look. "My parents? If I could talk to them, I would tell them that things are going to be difficult. I mean, human-turian relationships were tricky enough in my timeline, but I would tell them that no matter how bad things get, everything works out in the end. At least, it did in my timeline, so it will again if I can keep things on track."

"You don't think that they wouldn't want to know the end?"

She nodded. "And that's why I don't tell them. But, if I could, I would just want them to know that, all this shit? It pays off in the end..."

Garrus sighed, not sure what else to say as he returned his full attention to the bridge, frowning as a woman with long, red hair and black armour, with red highlights, stepped out, followed by a turian, with very similar features to his own, wearing dark red armour. "Is that-"

Kira let out a relieved laugh. "Oh, that _brilliant_ brother of mine! He did it. He kept everything on track."

"So, wait, is that... she's _alive_?!"

Kira nodded. "Yep. One hundred percent her. A few cybernetics here and there, but who doesn't have those?"

Garrus couldn't help but grin at Kira's enthusiasm as he watched Sophia shoot down the other mercs through his scope.

* * *

"Alright, they don't know that we're on their side, so we're going to have to show it," Sophia told the others, her biotics flaring. "Avoid their fire until you can take down one of the other mercs in plain view, okay?"

Her gaze drifted upwards as everyone nodded, landing on the two snipers. The human woman was kitted out in armour so light that it barely deserved the name, although it was more substantial than what Miranda was wearing, with a dark colour that would allow for easy blending into the environment, despite the dark blue stripes down the sides. The turian male was kitted out in much heavier armour, with blue being the most notable colour.

She figured that it was supposed to have the same effect as her wearing red, given that it was the colour of turian blood, but all it did was remind her of Garrus...

"Shepard!" Tom yelled, pulling her attention towards the mercs in front of her. She brought up her biotics to quickly deal with them, but from that moment forward she kept her mind on the job, not on the memories that refused to fade.

The other mercs were easily dealt with, none of them suspecting that Archangel and Valkyrie might have help.

_Idiots_, Sophia thought, as she moved through the base, her mind wondering upon what Aria had told her about the two vigilantes. Valkyrie had seemed to be on Omega to settle a score, but her name would suggest someone further removed. Someone without revenge, but justice in mind. Archangel definitely seemed to be that way, his tactics telling of someone who simply wanted to help the people, not pursue a personal vendetta.

_Why would two people come to Omega and start taking down mercs without a personal score to settle?_ It was a question that added a hint of uncertainty regarding the two vigilantes. They were certainly unknown elements, and Sophia didn't know if she'd be any more ready to trust them, than she was to trust Cerberus. But, then again, Tom seemed to think that recruiting them was imperative.

"Want to tell me just what exactly we're going to find beyond this door?" Sophia asked as she approached.

Tom shook his head. "You'll see."

Sophia rolled her eyes before moving to the lock, fully prepared to have to hack it, only to find that it opened as soon as she approached to reveal the two vigilantes. However, both of them kept their eyes trained on the bridge.

"Valkyrie? Archangel?" She asked, only to have both of them hold their hands up in the universal symbol for '_one moment_'. She folded her arms, waiting, and after a few moments, they both shot in quick succession. Archangel apparently made the kill shot, as Valkyrie slumped her shoulders, her head bobbing a little as if she were talking, although it must have been over their private radio. Valkyrie shook her head at Archangel's reply before returning her attention to the bridge as he turned towards Sophia.

She expected him to simply turn on his helmet speaker, but he instead moved to take off the helmet completely, showing a level of trust she had to admit was a little surprising, given that she had been lead to believe that Archangel had always dealt with others with his mask in place, to maintain his secret identity. It was all very comic book, in a way that she found kind of awesome. It was that perfect combination of endearing, because it was completely nerdy, but badass, because he was actually pulling it off. He was kind of like real life Batman...

The moment his helmet passed over his features, however, wiped her mind of all previous thoughts as she looked upon the face of the man she had left mere weeks ago from her perspective. He looked older, sure, a little more worn, but it was definitely _Garrus_, and her heart tugged at the thought.

Before she could even think about the ramifications, about the fact that she had been _dead_ for two years, she had hurled herself forward, into his arms, covering him with kisses. To her relief, although she could barely register it beyond the haze of _it'shimit'shimohmygodit'sreallyhimhe'shereandIhaven'tlosthim_, he didn't push her away, instead drawing her into his arms as she felt a deep rumbling in his chest, telling her that he was beyond pleased to see her.

After a few moments he pulled away a little, only to let his gaze drift across her features, double and triple checking that it was really her. "Spirits, Soph. I can't believe... I mean, Kira told me that they would bring you back but... _Spirits_, you're really here."

"You too," She breathed. "Garrus, I had _no_ idea that you were Archangel. Tom kept that piece of info to himself. God, I missed you _so_ much..."

Tom smiled at them, his gaze drifting to the other vigilante. She hadn't moved since Garrus had gotten up, keeping silent vigil over the bridge. He knew, without being told, that it was his sister beneath the helmet. He walked over to her, a little sheepishly, as their parents continued to gush about how much they had missed each other. His heart couldn't help but ache a little at that.

_That's how it should have been for Tali and I_, he couldn't help but think, a little jealously, his mind once again wondering what in the hell he had done to offend every quarian out there.

"Kira," He greeted, keeping his voice neutral. He wasn't sure how she would respond.

"Tom," She replied, her gaze dropping far enough to be noticeable, despite the helmet, her voice seemingly icy.

_So, she's __**still**__ mad_, he thought, mistaking her shame for anger, thanks to the helmet masking her features.

"You haven't told him anything?" He asked, letting his own voice take on an icy tone.

"No," She replied sharply. "Of course, not."

Their conversation was, at that point, interrupted by Miranda clearing her throat, rather loudly, her attentions directed towards Shepard. "Commander, with all due respect, _what in the hell is going on here_?!"

Sophia detached herself from Garrus at that, giving Miranda a look that seemed to be one part sheepish, and one part '_say something, motherfucker. I dare you..._'. "Well, Miranda, if you had done your homework, you would know that this is Spectre Vakarian, one of the people who helped me take down Saran and, also, my boyfriend." She turned to Garrus, blushing a little at that. "I mean, assuming-"

He interrupted her at that. "Well, turians would use the word 'mate', but I like boyfriend. It's... _cute_."

She raised an eyebrow at that. "_Cute_? Okay, fine, it is a little cute. And I do kind of like 'mate', it's got a ring to it..."

Miranda cleared her throat once more. "Nobody mentioned that you were involved with a... _turian_." She turned to Tom.

He shrugged. "You didn't ask. Plus, what does it matter?" Miranda didn't answer that, leading everyone to assume that it was simply because of her prejudice of turians, which it was, to a degree.

Sophia simply sighed at her silence. "Tom's right. It doesn't change anything. So, this is Garrus, and I'm going to go ahead and assume that Valkyrie is Tom's sister Kira."

Valkyrie nodded, finally removing her helmet, surprising Sophia a little with her older appearance, as well as the fact that she had cut her hair into a short, blood red style, cutting out all of the dye that she had in when they had been chasing Saren. "Yo," She replied, folding her arms.

The two Cerberus Operatives were staring once more, although this time it was at the purple colony markings adorning the young woman's features.

"Okay, everyone is staring and it's freaking me out. I figure, thanks to Shepard's tactics, we have an extra 93 seconds before the next wave. That bridge has saved our lives, funneling all of those witless idiots into scope, but it works both ways. If we try to go back out that way, they'll kill us for sure."

"So, what? We just wait here?" Tom asked.

Kira's eyes didn't meet his as she shrugged. "We've taken most of them out. They can't have too many forces left."

Garrus nodded. "With you four here, it won't take long."

"Just like old times," Sophia told him, before heading down towards the lower level a mercs began pour across the bridge.

She had been right. It _was _just like old times. Having Garrus on her six while she took down hordes of mercs with her biotics simply felt... _right_.

So, it wasn't all that surprising that it didn't take very long for them to destroy the Eclipse troops, leaving just the Blood Pack and Blue Suns.

"Think we can make a break for it?" Sophia asked as they returned to the upper level.

Garrus shrugged in response. "I don't know. They seem to be waiting for-" He was cut off by the sound of an explosion beneath them. "Well, they had to use their brains eventually. Kira and I can hold position up here if you make sure they don't get through the basement."

Sophia nodded. "I'll leave Jacob with you as well. Just to even out the sides."

Garrus raised a browplate. "Soph, I don't need the extra help."

"Are you implying that I do?"

"I just don't want to lose you again," He admitted, softly.

"You won't," She promised.

He nodded, before pulled her close, touching his forehead to hers gently. "For luck," He told her, earning him a smile.

"I'll be back soon."

"You'd better be..."

* * *

Shepard headed back up the the upper level as quickly as she could, after they had finished taking out the remaining mercs. The new Normandy might just be a replica of the original, but with her family intact once more, she figured it could be like a home.

_Family_? She wondered at her odd choice of words. Sure, she often thought of her crew as family, but this seemed different... Did she consider Garrus as her family now?

She knew the answer, but didn't want to think about the implications. _Family_ felt like such a weighted word, especially for someone she had only been dating a few months.

At least, from her perspective. The two years she had spent dead really didn't count, she figured.

She walked up towards Garrus with a smile across her face. "Hey, honey, I'm home," She called, earning her another grin from him as he turned to face her.

Turning his gaze away from the window.

The window where the gunship appeared.

"Archangel! You think you can fuck with the Blue Suns?!"

Garrus and Kira both tried to turn towards the gunship, but were met with a hail of bullets. Garrus took the brunt of the attack, Kira's shield managing to protect her. She ended up on the opposite side of cover from Garrus, something the turian tried to rectify almost immediately. Kira shifted her weight closer to the edge of cover, to help him move across, just as Tarak fired a missile between them.

Neither Sophia or Tom could voice the rage they felt as they watched the other two collapse in a shower of blue and red, their biotics overloading in unison as they directed their energy towards the offending gunship.

It never stood a chance.

Once the gunship was down, Sophia found herself torn between running to the man she loved, or the woman she felt a strange, almost maternal, protective instinct towards. Her decision was made for her, however, as Tom made his way over to his sister without hesitation, quickly checking over where the blast had torn open the synthetic dermis over her arm.

Sophia ran to kneel down beside Garrus. "Come on, amore mio. Get up. I can't lose you. Not now..."

As if he heard her whispered prayers, Garrus coughed beneath her, struggling to draw breath, but doing so just the same.

* * *

The journey back to the Normandy was a complete blur. The next thing she knew, she and Tom were being pushed out of the Medbay.

"Listen to me you two," Chakwas told them, struggling to keep their attention through the haze that the both of them were struggling against.

"Shouldn't you be in there, helping them?" Tom asked weakly, earning him a sigh.

"Tom, I've already answered this question, for both of you. Several times."

_She had?_ Sophia thought, struggling to stay alert.

"Listen to me, very carefully," The Doctor told the both of them as they tried their best to concentrate on her words. "You're both suffering from acute biotic exhaustion. Get some food, then go to your quarters, try to take a shower if you can, and _sleep_. Understand? Kira and Garrus are stable."

Sophia nodded. "Food, shower and bed." She'd had biotic exhaustion before and was familiar with the drill, although this was almost as bad as the first time she had used her biotics. Without an implant and with no prior practice, she had really managed to do a number on herself.

However, this time, it seemed, she had enough experience for her body to be able to walk itself, in its zombie-like state, to the mess. She felt instantly better as soon as she ate a protein bar, but she noticed that Tom looked a little sick as he ate his own.

"Are you okay?" She asked, but he shook his head.

"Forgot. Need levo bar."

She frowned at that. "Tom, are you sure?"

He nodded. "Can eat both. Levo makes me less sick."

She still wasn't certain, but passed him the bar regardless. He wolfed it down, seeming almost instantly better as soon as he did. "How can you eat levo food like that? I mean, I assumed you ate it. I doubt parents could stop kids from eating each other's food, so I figured you and Kira had been eating opposite chirality stuff from day one, but I didn't think that you could get any actual nutrients from it."

Tom shrugged. "Just part of the mystery that is me and Kira..."

"So, what? Are you half-human or something? Because, you know, that would explain a lot about you two..."

"Not _half_ human, I don't think. I'm pretty sure there's some human DNA thrown in there but, to be honest, I didn't understand half of the data Kira gave me."

Sophia frowned. "I was only joking. I mean, human and turian DNA can't work together, right?"

Tom shrugged. "DNA is DNA. I mean, it's not even chirally-active, it just codes for proteins that are. For whatever reason, all bipeds are based on almost identical DNA patterns. I mean, we'd have to be, to look so alike, right? I think. I don't know, biology really wasn't a strong point for me. It was the only science I got an A in, instead of an A+."

Sophia shook her head. "I don't know. I dropped out of school at eleven. My biology stopped at 'sunlight is good for plants'."

"Yeah, mine stopped at fifteen, with the exception of basic medic training. You'd have to ask Kira if you want more details."

"Didn't she join the military with you?"

Tom nodded. "Yeah, but she completed her high school education at thirteen, when we were studying away from home. A few months after we came back, she had the falling out with our mom and pretty much just sacked off formal education. Taught herself everything she could ever want to know from books."

Sophia didn't miss the way his eyes were drawn back to the medbay doors. "They're strong, tesoro. They'll pull through."

He nodded. "I know. Hell, with those nanobots, I'm sure Kira could survive a nuclear blast. I just... can't help but worry. Plus, she's still mad at me. I thought she'd have calmed down but... she's still mad..."

"Go get some sleep, tesoro. You can worry in the morning."

* * *

Sophia had been in the briefing room since 0600, pacing the floor. She was waiting on news of Kira and Garrus, but Chakwas had firmly told her to stay out of her way. She would have talked out her nervous energy with Tom, but he was still out of it, apparently having worn himself out even more than she had. Her other option would be to practice her biotics, hone her skills, and hope that she burnt off her excess energy that way, but she knew it wasn't a good idea after being hurt so badly.

So, she waited.

Although, she didn't have to wait long before the door opened to reveal a fully intact Kira, seemingly no worse for wear.

"Hey, Piccina," She said, smiling, pulling Kira into a hug. "I was worried about you." Her voice was a little reprimanding at that.

Kira's gaze dropped a little as she nervously tugged the sleeves of her hoodie, down over her fingers, so that only those of her right hand were visible. "I'm sorry. I know that I should have told someone where I was going but... Tom was _so_ mad and I was just _scared_..."

Sophia nodded in understanding. "I know, piccina, I know. I just wish you'd have at least sent a message to say that you were alive or something."

Kira nodded. "I'll keep that in mind, next time I run off into the wilderness."

"You'd better. So, you're all better? Just going to shrug off that rocket?"

Kira shrugged, sheepishly. "I guess so. My nanobots repaired all of my organic systems and my arm didn't suffer any real damage so..."

Sophia's eyes dropped to the way she was pulling the sleeve down over her arm once more. "What about the synthetic skin you had covering the arm?"

Kira seemed a curl herself inwards, making herself smaller, as if she wished that she was invisible, giving a half-hearted shrug. "It was pretty much burnt clean off. It's self-repairing, but with that much damage..."

"Can you get a new one?"

She shook her head. "The technology was new when I got it. It simply can't be done yet. It's fine, I can live quite happily without it. It just... it's going to take some getting used to."

Sophia nodded, before frowning a little. "Kira, where's Garrus?"

"He's fine," The reply didn't come from Kira, but from Garrus himself as he walked into the room. "Nobody would give me a mirror. How bad is it?"

Sophia smiled at him. The bandages were... they weren't _good_, but she honestly didn't care. He was alive and here with her. That was all that mattered.

"How bad is what?" She joked, closing the distance between them, cutting off his response with a kiss. Neither of them noticed Kira slip out of the room.

She pulled away a few moments later, to see him start to grin, only to flinch a little in pain. "Ah, my face is barely holding together as it is. You know, I knew that some women found facial scars attractive, I just figured that they were all krogan."

Her smile widened a little at that. "Then I must be part krogan, because I definitely think it's a good look for you. All 'ruggedly handsome action hero'."

"_Spirits_, I've missed you..."

"Same," She replied before pulling away a little. "But... Garrus, it's been two years. I mean, I would have thought that you would have... moved on..."

He shook his head, smiling a little. "As if I could ever forget you... But, it helped to know that you were coming back."

"Kira told you?" She asked, smiling a little.

He nodded. "Yeah. I figured that two years wouldn't be too long a wait. Although, it has been a very, very long time..."

She bit her lower lip at the suggestion in his tone, using all of her willpower to pull away. "Garrus, you have woken up at the least convenient time. I am actually on my way to pick up The Professor. I was just waiting for you to wake up before heading out."

"The... wait, do you mean Mordin?"

"You know him?"

Garrus nodded. "Well, Kira does. He patched the squad up a few times, but I only met him once or twice. He kept an extra set of eyes on her for me, though."

"Yeah, you are going to have to fill me in on all of your adventures on Omega. But first, I really need to go and pick up The Professor."

"Okay, then I'll come with you."

"Alright. You, me, Tom and Kira. Just like old times..."

* * *

**AN - Additional: Apologies if this ends in a weird place. The next chapter is literally going to run on from this one, so I was struggling to find a good spot to add the chapter break.**


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: I love it, I spent three weeks floored with illness, and I get so little writing done it's unreal. Now I'm back in classes and having to catch up, and I'm getting two chapters done a week. I hate my brain...**

**Apologies once more for the rant last chapter and thanks to everyone who was cool about it (so, everyone). It was mostly just a warning for the chapters to come. Some of the science does get a little freaky, and I know some people don't like where I'm gonna go.**

**Anyway, more importantly:**

**NonSolus - Canon gets less canon as it goes along. The timeline 'anchors' itself to key points, as Kira says, but around those points, it just goes crazy, and will get more so the further into the timeline we go. Also, read this chapter for Zaeed answers... ^^**

**DeltaAgent - A little Nihlus info for now, but we'll see him again in just a couple more chapters (I know I said that a couple of chapters ago, but this time I really do mean it). ^^**

**1054SS325MP - And then we'll get to Tali, a couple of chapters after Nihlus. Promise. ^^**

**Huge, triple, awesome thanks go to you three as well as Zombie Pixel for the awesome reviews! You guys are epic and are the main reason this chapter is up so quickly, despite being on the larger side.**

**Thanks also go out to everyone who reads, with double thanks to everyone who takes the time to follow/favourite.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 18 - ****No, I'm from Iowa. I only work in outer space.**

Garrus and Sophia were halfway down to the mess to meet Kira, when they bumped into a very sleepy Tom, exiting his quarters.

"Hey, tesoro. You okay?"

He groaned, nodding. "Yeah. I just fucking hate it when I wear myself down like that..."

Sophia smirked at that. "You are preaching to the choir. Think you can handle a mission?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Okay then. We'll head out as soon as Kira gives us the info on her salarian friend." She didn't miss the way Tom's gaze seemed to darken at the mention of his sister. "Come on, Tom. You need to speak with her."

"Yeah, I know, I know."

Sophia simply left it at that, before frowning a little. "Wait, do you get your own quarters?"

He nodded. "As does Kira. One of the benefits of being there when the ship was designed. They're pretty small, but they at least give us some semblance of privacy. Something I think we're going to more than need on this ship..."

"Have the Cerberus crew been giving you a hard time?"

He shrugged. "I would have been shocked if they weren't. But most of them have known me for long enough now to be used to me, although I wouldn't want to have to sleep in the same room as them."

"Fair enough," Sophia replied as the three of them walked into the mess hall, to see Kira seemingly performing self-maintenance on her arm.

"Hey," Kira greeted, not looking up from her work.

"Hey," Sophia replied. "I figured the four of us could go and pick up The Professor. Garrus says you're the person to ask about his whereabouts."

Kira nodded, still refusing to look up. "Yeah, he'll just be in his clinic. Problem is that the entire district has been quarantined. Some kind of plague."

Garrus frowned. "I didn't hear anything about that."

Kira shrugged. "I only found out in the last few hours. I messaged him to tell him that we got out. Apparently the plague is lethal to all species except humans. He's working on a cure as we speak."

"Well, maybe we can give him a hand," Sophia replied. "How long until you're ready to go?"

"Five minutes," Kira replied.

"Okay, so what's our plan?" Garrus asked.

Sophia raised an eyebrow at that. "_Our_ plan? Were we listening to the same thing? I'm not taking you into a plague zone, Garrus. Especially not after a major injury."

"Soph, you're not going alone."

"She won't be alone, I'll be with her," Kira countered as she finished up her work on her arm.

"If Kira's going, then so am I," Tom told them, firmly.

Sophia placed her hands on her hips, staring down the two turians. "No, you're not. Tom, you're still recovering from biotic exhaustion, your entire system is compromised. I'm not risking either of you, and that's final."

Garrus growled a little at that, ignoring her glare. "No, it isn't. I'm a Spectre, Shepard, you don't outrank me. You can either keep arguing, or just accept that I'm going, no matter what you say."

Sophia looked as if she was all for the 'keep arguing' option, but Kira interrupted before she could say anything more. "Okay, look, clearly we can't dissuade you two, but it would be stupid for you to accompany us without taking the proper precautions. Go to the medbay and ask Chakwas for immuno-supplements alpha and delta. Actually, you should probably get gamma as well."

Sophia looked as if she was ready to strangle Kira, but she remained silent as Garrus smirked. "Alright, we'll be right back."

As soon as he was out of earshot, Sophia rounded on Kira, her biotics beginning to flare across her skin. "I think that is quite possibly the _most_ insubordinate thing you have _ever_ done!"

"Are you going to keep yelling at me, or are we going to sneak out while they're distracted? Still can't believe they fell for that..."

Sophia gave her a dumbfounded look for a second before cracking a grin. "Okay, I knew there was a reason I liked you. Although, I'm not exactly happy going out with a squad of only two."

Kira shrugged. "Well, it's either the turians, or Cerberus. Take your pick."

"Squad of two it is," She replied as they headed towards the lift, not missing the fact that Kira was wearing Sophia's N7 jacket over her armour. "You know, you could have _asked_ before taking my clothes."

Kira shrugged. "I'll give it back once we pick up my stuff from Omega. Not that I have much long sleeved clothing... I might have to rethink my entire wardrobe. Or get some kind of cool glove to cover it up. I'm thinking leather..."

They quickly passed through the armoury, moving as fast as they could to keep ahead of Garrus and Tom. Just before they left, Kira turned to the console on the wall. "EDI?"

"Yes, Agent Luna?"

She rolled her eyes, wondering where the AI had gotten _that_ name from. "It's Kirayna Viktal, okay EDI?"

"I will change my greeting protocols accordingly, Agent Viktal."

"Alright, if anyone asks where we are, send them on a wild goose chase. Tell them that we're still on board the ship, at the opposite end of it from wherever they are. And don't let Garrus or Tom disembark, no matter what."

"I am afraid that you do not have authorisation to issue those commands, Agent Viktal."

"I'm giving her the authorisation," Sophia told the AI as they headed towards the airlock.

"Acknowledged, Shepard."

Sophia turned to Kira. "You seem practiced at this. I bet you used to sneak out your bedroom window all the time."

Kira smirked at that. "Oh, you have no idea. To be honest, sneaking out was the easy part. Sneaking back in after one too many shots of ryncol was the tough bit."

* * *

"So, why are you still mad at your brother?" Shepard asked as they walked through the plague zone, headed towards the clinic.

"I wasn't. I was all ready to say sorry, but then he was a total bastard when you were all... _distracted_ with Garrus. He was just... really cold towards me, you know?"

Sophia frowned a little. "Funny... that's what he said about you."

"I didn't do shit. All I said was 'hey'. It's not my fault my brother's a fucking drama queen..." Kira's rant was interrupted by her suddenly coughing violently, as if she was about to hack out a lung.

"Kira, you okay?"

The younger woman nodded. "Yeah. Just a tickle in my throat. It's fine, really. I mean, I'm human, so it should be fine." The round of coughing that followed her words told Sophia otherwise.

"Kira, are you sure?"

She nodded, before freezing momentarily, sighing at her realisation. "Of course, this would be the point at which I remember that I have a handful of turian DNA fragments. My nanobots _should_ be dealing with the pathogen, regardless, though."

"You said that Mordin was working on a cure?"

"Yeah. There's no way he won't have one by the time we get there."

Sophia nodded, noting the way Kira clearly wanted to end the conversation. "So... your full name is Kirayna? What kind of name is that?"

Kira smiled a little at that. "A turian one."

"Huh. It's nice."

Kira nodded. "Yeah... a friend told me I should stop shortening it, but I don't think the world's ready for a human with a turian name."

"Why not? They've already got a turian with a human name."

Kira's gaze dropped. The real reason was that she had been named for her grandmother, something she didn't exactly want anyone figuring out. "Well, that's why I'm no longer hiding my colony markings, but there are still a lot of problems left over from the war."

Sophia sighed a little at that. "Yeah, I'm starting to think there'll always be problems..."

Kira shrugged. "Even in my time there were problems. But... love's worth it, don't you think?"

Sophia nodded, smiling. "Yeah, it is." Her smile faded instantly, however, as Kira started coughing once more, her complexion visibly paling. "How far until the clinic?"

"Just around the corner," Kira managed, the knuckles on her good hand white from gripping her weapon so tightly.

Sophia nodded, deciding against moving to help her. Kira could be stubborn as her fa-

Sophia's thoughts stopped dead in their tracks as she tried, to no avail, to follow them to their conclusion. It was the first time she had lost her train of thought like that since Freedom's Progress, making her wonder what had triggered it. She had simply been concerned for Kira.

"Here," Kira interrupted her thoughts by indicating to a small clinic, quickly moving over to one of the nurses. "Hey, Mordin in?"

The nurse's eyes widened at the sight of her. "Valkyrie? We'd heard you had died along with Archangel."

"Yeah, and I'd like to keep it that way, so it's just Kira now. I really need to see the Doc, though."

The nurse nodded. "Of course, he's back there."

"You trust these people not to talk?" Sophia asked lowly.

Kira shrugged. "I trust Mordin to keep his staff in line. But most owe me in one way or another, so I doubt any of them would tell the mercs I was here."

"How come they know your face? I thought you guys had kept your masks on at all times."

"Well, Garrus did. I did too, for the most part, but no one knows me. There wasn't any risk of being identified. The only risk was in using my real name, so when I started coming here to have my arm fixed up every so often, I didn't wear my helmet," Kira explained, seemingly needing something to take her mind off of her weakened state.

She stopped talking, however, as they walked into one of the rooms, only to find a salarian pacing the room, muttering to himself. "Don't worry, he's always like that," Kira told Shepard, before turning to the salarian. "Hey, Mordin. Need a hand?"

"Ah, Kira, good. Wasn't sure you'd make it."

"Hey, I said I'd lend a hand, so here I am," She replied before coughing once more.

Mordin responded by moving his omnitool across her. "Pathogen progressing quickly. Replication protocols of nanobots damaged again, preventing help. Have cure ready."

Sophia was relieved, but still frowning. "How did it even affect her in the first place? Kira's human."

Mordin nodded. "Current definition of species vague. Kira is human. But, also, technically turian. Possibly other species, but would need more testing."

"How can someone be multipl-" Sophia was cut off by Kira coughing once more.

"Mordin, quit babbling and get me that damn cur- AH! Bastardo!" She yelled, as Mordin stuck her from behind with a needle. "You're a fucking arse at times, Mordin... Merda... Okay, am I good?"

Mordin nodded, producing another needle. "Cure should work quickly. Made this after last visit. Will suppress pheromone production."

"Mannaggia tua, I'd forgotten about that. Thanks, Mordin. So, how are we going to distribute the cure to the rest of the district?"

"Would have to be through environmental systems."

"Okay, well, Shepard and I can handle that."

At the mention of Shepard's name, Mordin finally seemed to look at the other woman, before looking back at Kira. "Hmm. Possibly genet-"

"_Mordin_!" Kira interrupted him. "We really need to get that cure out, asap."

The salarian nodded. "Also, Daniel went into vorcha territory. Looking for infected batarians. Keep an eye out?"

Kira rolled her eyes a little. "Why am I not surprised? Yeah, I'll do my best to find him," She told him before moving out of the clinic, with Shepard following close behind.

"So, are you going to explain anything that you and Mordin were talking about?" Sophia asked as they walked back into the merc controlled territory.

Kira shrugged. "Now is possibly not the best time..."

Sophia sighed in agreement as they both took to cover, having been spotted by the mercs. "Alright. I'll need a drink once we're done here, anyway."

Kira snorted. "You just don't want to go home to two angry turians."

Sophia laughed a little at that. "You caught me," She replied, realising that she had no objection to Kira referring to the new Normandy as _home_.

They were getting there...

* * *

"We came, we saw, we kicked their ass!" Kira announced as they entered the clinic once more, earning her an eye roll from her mother. "So," she turned to Mordin, "now that we've helped you out here, how would you feel about joining us to take down the Collectors?"

"No ship has ever returned from Omega-4 relay," He pointed out.

Kira shrugged. "Hey, _I'm_ on the mission. It'd have to be crazy."

Sophia sighed. "You know, you're not doing such a great job of making this mission sound like anything anyone would want to take part in..."

"Mordin's former STG. Crazy missions are pretty much his MO."

The salarian gave Kira a look that Shepard figured was the equivalent of a raised eyebrow. "Was getting bored here anyway," He told her after a pause, earning him a grin from Kira.

"See? I knew you couldn't resist a good suicide mission against an almost unknown enemy. It's too good a challenge."

"Alright, well, head to the Normandy when you're ready. And if you see two furious turians, tell them that we're having a girl's night out," Sophia told him.

"Ah. Of course. Archangel not here. Not wise to bring turian into plague zone. Guessing he wasn't happy?"

"Yeah, not happy is an understatement," Kira replied.

"Always protective of you. Suggested family ties. Could never figure that one out."

"And you never will," Kira countered.

However, Mordin's eyes simply flickered between the two human women. "Already have."

"Then I would suggest you keep it to yourself. Contamination of the timeline, and all..."

Mordin nodded. "Of course."

"Okay then, see you in a few hours," Kira told him, heading out of the clinic.

"You going to tell me what that was about?" Sophia asked.

Kira shook her head. "Nope. Mordin just struggles with social interactions sometimes," She lied. "Plus, he doesn't really understand the concept of the future staying in the future."

"So, drinks. Afterlife?"

Kiran nodded. "Yeah, just as long as we stay away from Aria. I have no idea how long Mordin's suppression drugs will take to work."

"Yeah, she seemed particularly interested in your brother. I take it there's a story there?"

"Ah, erm, yes, but not one that I'm telling you. Not sober, at least."

"Then Afterlife it is."

* * *

"Wait, she suggested _what_?" Sophia asked incredulously, finishing her... she had lost count of how many drinks she'd had. A lot. Somewhere between a fuckload and a bitchton.

"I know right?" Kira replied, equally inebriated. "So, Caius, who is usually the level-headed diplomat, starts growling like he's about to rip the bitch to pieces. And Tom and I aren't much better, but, we, at least, have enough reason left to attempt to politely decline her, ahem... _offer_, but we're hardly diplomats."

"So how in the hell did you talk your way out of it?"

"Well, the priority had to be calming Cai down. Which, of course, meant that I had to get the hell out of there."

"So, you left your brother to deal with Aria?"

"Don't say it like _that_. It was his idea, and he wasn't objecting all too strongly at the time."

Sophia couldn't help but laugh at that, shaking her head. "Was your brother _really_ like that?"

Kira nodded. "Yeah. It was... weird, though. I always... he never really talked to me about this stuff. But it was weird when Tali showed up. I mean, he didn't even seem to notice that there were other women on board..."

"Yeah, I can't figure out what happened with those two. I mean, we saw Tali at Freedom's Progress but... I don't know. Seemed as if something was off."

Kira's gaze dropped a little. "I'll talk to him when we get back to the Normandy. Try to fix the damage I caused. Anyway, can we talk about something else? How did we even get on this topic anyway?"

"Okay, fine, different topic..." Sophia paused for a moment, looking uncertain. "Do you think I'm doing the right thing? Working with Cerberus, I mean."

Kira shrugged. "They're the only ones capable of bankrolling this. The Collectors have to be stopped, there's no doubt about that."

"I just... they didn't just rebuild me, they added to me. They gave me new genes, that were apparently just newer versions of ones the Alliance had already given me. I just... I'm sick of feeling like a pawn in all this."

Kira nodded, raising her glass. "Amen to that," She commented, before turning to address the questioning look Shepard was giving her. "You want to know what I told Tom that made him stop talking to me? Why I stopped talking to my mother?"

"I figured that would be a mystery I would never know the answer to."

Kira smiled at that, although it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Cerberus _added_ to you. But they built my brother and I from scratch. Our parents found us, took us in, and raised us, but... I have never stopped feeling like a pawn since the day I found out."

"I'm sorry," Shepard commented, really unsure of what else she could say.

Kira just shrugged once more. "There's no good way to deal with this. Except... I never felt like I owed Cerberus a damn thing. But I felt like I owed the rest of the galaxy, for being what I am. It's why I let them screw me over, and experiment on me. It's taken me this long to figure out that I don't owe anyone shit. I don't need their approval to validate my existence."

"If it's worth anything, you don't have to earn my approval. You've already got it."

Kira blushed a little at that, her gaze dropping. "Thanks, M-Shepard. That, erm... You know what? I'm drunk. Maybe it's time to head back."

Sophia pouted a little before sighing in agreement, too drunk to notice Kira's slip. "_Fine_. You deal with Tom and I'll deal with Garrus?"

Kira nodded. "Seems fair. Alright, back to the Normandy it is."

They both got up from their barstools, a little wonkily. Sophia managed to stumble straight into a rather intimidating merc, covered in scars.

"God dammit, Rosa, look where you're going."

_Sophia knew that she should have stayed in her new room like she had been told, but she was scared that her parents would leave without telling her. WIthout saying goodbye. So, here she was, perched at the top of the stairs._

"_Really? Private security, Mama?" Her mother asked her grandmother._

"_Oh, Rosa, don't be so naive. Why do you think they asked for __**both**__ of you?"_

_Sophia's mother sighed at that. "I know, I know, I just... I want her to have normal childhood."_

"_Rosa, that ship sailed long ago. You made your decision. You gave them leverage over you, and you let them box you in. It's the same thing you're doing now."_

"_I'm protecting my family! That's all I've ever been trying to do..."_

"_I know, piccina. She'll be fine. She'll go to school, just like normal. But I want to make them think twice about trying to get to her, because I have no doubt that they will."_

"_But won't the extra security draw suspicion?"_

"_I'm a rich old woman, I'm allowed my eccentricities. At least you know that she'll be safe."_

"_You know, you probably shouldn't be eavesdropping."_

_Sophia jumped at the rough voice behind her. "Scusa!"_

_He laughed a little at her surprise, shaking his head. "I promise not to tell. Now, isn't there somewhere you should be?_

Sophia drew herself from her memories, raising an eyebrow at the merc in front of her, folding her arms. "Wrong Shepard," She told him.

He frowned as he looked her over, finally realising who she was. "Sophia Shepard. Last time I saw you, you were this high." He indicated to just over a metre.

Sophia smiled, turning to her companion. "Kira, this is Zaeed Massani. He helped to make sure the Alliance didn't get to me when I was living with my grandmother. Not that I knew that at the time..."

Kira nodded. "Yeah, I know. Taught you to shoot too, the way I heard it."

Sophia rolled her eyes. "Right, future-girl knows everything."

"Only private security I ever worked," Zaeed told them. "I always hated those jobs, but I didn't like the idea of the Alliance getting a hold of Rosa's kid. Looks like it didn't do much good in the end, though."

She shrugged. "I got a chance to grow up without them, that's what matters. Plus, I like my work."

"Yeah, you're definitely Rosa's daughter."

Sophia frowned a little. She would admit that she and Zaeed hadn't spoken much when she was younger. She usually only saw him when, as Kira said, he was helping her grandmother teach her how to shoot. But they had talked often enough for her to question the fact that had never mentioned her mother before. "How did you know my mother?"

He shrugged. "How do you think? She infiltrated my merc group."

"Oh, come on, you _have _to give me more than that. You know, I seem to remember you telling much better stories. Like that one about crashing the turian frigate?"

Zaeed sighed, shaking his head. "I knew I shouldn't have told you that one. Fine. I had known her a little, back when we were both with the Alliance, but once the war started... Where the Alliance saw enemies, I saw opportunities. I figured, if I was going to be killing aliens, I might as well be making a profit. One day Rosa shows up, spinning some story about how she no longer saw any point in the war. After two years she was a trusted friend. Had a little trouble working with aliens at first, we were no longer just a human merc group, but after two years, she was my damn right hand."

Sophia raised an eyebrow. "She got _that_ close?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Of course, she came clean after that bastard Vido betrayed me. She helped me get out of there before offering to help me get revenge in exchange for not holding it against her. So, she helped me storm Vido's base and gave me a clean shot at the bastard. Went back to the Alliance after that. Took one of my best pilots with her, too. William Shepard. Love-struck fool..."

She gave him an incredulous look. "Are you seriously trying to tell me that my father was a merc?"

"Alliance did a good job of covering it up. But I think you of all people know just how well they can keep things a secret. Tell me, exactly how many years did they tweak your birthday by?"

She sighed. "Only two. But your point is well taken." She wondered at the realisation of just how little she knew about her parents. She had been wondering ever since Miranda had told her about her genetic enhancements, why her mother had done it. She was forced to recognise the fact that she actually knew very little about the woman, and she knew even less about her father.

"So, last I heard, you were dead," Zaeed continued, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Ah, yes. I was wondering when we were going to get to that. Turns out that being dead doesn't really matter. If there's a job that needs doing, I'm still the woman to call."

"So, what's the job?"

She shrugged. "Usual affair. I'm gathering a team to take through the Omega-4 Relay. Figured it was about time someone dealt with the Collectors."

"Sounds like fun."

"You volunteering to come with?"

"Might be."

"I don't know if I can afford your usual salary. I'd have to talk it over with the people bankrolling this. Ever heard of Cerberus?"

He nodded. "Shady bastards. But a job's a job. And I made a promise, that I failed to keep. I guess this is just my way of trying to fix that."

"Alright then," Sophia answered, deciding not to ask. "My ship is the Normandy SR2. If you show up when you're ready, we'll find somewhere for you to stay."

* * *

"Hey, Mordin," Kira called, jogging up to the salarian as they approached the Normandy.

"Ah, Shepard, Kira. Was just about to dock."

"Good timing," Sophia commented, before frowning. "And, really, I hate being called Shepard. It's Sophia."

Kira smirked a little at that. "Really? Because I think the name 'Shepard' just got a little more badass."

Sophia rolled her eyes in response, before turning to Mordin. "So, have you just been packing up since we left?"

He nodded. "Also, ran into Archangel."

The two women both froze at that. "Really? When?" Sophia asked.

"About an hour or so after you left. Said he had personal business to attend to. Told him you two were having 'girl's night'."

"Well, he can't have gone back to base. We were just there to pick up my stuff and I'd have noticed. Plus, his stuff was still there," Kira told them.

"Is there anywhere else he could have gone? Does he have an apartment or something?"

Kira shook her head. "We both lived at the base..." She groaned, finally realising where he would have gone. "Sidonis..."

Sophia frowned. "Who?"

"He was a member of our squad, but the mercs got to him... That was why we had to evacuate. They hacked his omni-tool for information before killing him."

"Can't hack omni-tool once removed," Mordin pointed out.

Kira simply gave the both of them a pointed look in response, as they both realised what had happened. "I had to get out to warn the others... I didn't have time to..."

Sophia nodded in understanding as tears began to roll down Kira's face, the alcohol still in her system helping them flow. "It's fine, Piccina. It's okay," She told the younger woman reassuringly. "I'll go and talk to Garrus. Can you show Mordin he lab?"

Kira nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Yeah, sure."

"EDI, is Garrus back?" Sophia asked as soon as they boarded the ship.

"Spectre Vakarian arrived back on the ship an hour ago and is currently in the Main Battery. Agent Viktal never left."

Kira frowned. "EDI, I was out with- Wait, is that why you were calling me Luna before?"

"I thought that it would prevent confusion."

Kira rolled her eyes. "Then just call us Kira and Tom. Or, if you have to use titles, call Tom Commander, not Agent."

"Only Agent Viktal can authorise that change."

Kira sighed. "She's doing it on purpose now."

Sophia smiled. "Okay, I'm going to talk to Garrus. Kira, you were married to a turian, any advice for arguments?"

She smirked. "Yeah, remember to lock the door and turn off EDI's cameras."

Sophia rolled her eyes before heading into the lift, leaving Kira alone with Mordin. "Alright, Doc. Let's get you set up."

Mordin nodded as they entered the lab, indicating to one of his bags. "Started construction on device. My parts, anyway."

"Awesome. I still have a couple of calculations before I finish up the designs for the other part. Actually, EDI?"

"Yes, Agent Viktal?"

"How's your interdimensional physics?"

"I am fully versed in all current theories in the area."

"Want to help out on a project?"

Mordin frowned. "You trust an AI?"

Kira shrugged. "The worst she could do is sabotage it, which I'll be able to see a mile off. Plus, I don't think EDI would betray us like that. Call it a hunch."

"Thank you for the confidence, Agent Viktal."

"Any time, EDI. I've never had an opportunity to work with an AI before. I'll admit, I'm a little curious."

Mordin nodded. "I'm also curious. Although, mostly about you and your brother. Watching interactions with Shepard most enlightening."

Kira's eyes flickered to EDI's console at that. "Careful Mordin, I have to draw the line somewhere."

He shook his head dismissively, bringing up his omni-tool. "There, should have bought us ten minutes."

Kira nodded. "Okay then, what do you know?"

"Shepard used as genetic template for you. Probable that Archangel was used as template for brother. Add familiarity that you display towards both, high probability that they raised you."

"Cerberus built us and Mom and Dad - or Sophia and Garrus, as you know them - raised us, after rescuing us from one of their facilities. Tom knows all of this, but no one else does - at least, no one on this ship - and I would like to keep it that way."

Mordin nodded. "Of course. Will keep secret."

"Thank you..."

* * *

Sophia walked out of the lift, only to run straight into Tom.

"Whoops. Sorry, tesoro."

"It's fine, Shepard. Where's Kira?"

"She's upstairs with Mordin."

"Is she... She's okay, right?"

Sophia nodded. "She's fine. The plague got to her a little, but Mordin managed to fix her up just fine." She folded her arms, carefully regarding the worried look on Tom's face. "Tom, why don't you just _talk_ to your sister?"

He sighed. "I just... She's still mad at me."

"Okay, seriously. You say you're not mad, but that she is, and she says that she's not, but you are. Neither of you are angry with the other, you just don't want to deal with the fact that the other might be."

"I... I'll talk to her later, okay?"

Sophia nodded "You'd better," She told him, before heading into towards the main battery.

Garrus didn't turn around as she entered. She didn't know if that was a bad sign or not, but she couldn't imagine that it was a good one.

"Garrus?" She asked, but he didn't respond, his attention fixed firmly on the console in front of him. "Are we going to talk about this, or are you just going to sulk?"

He growled a little at that. "I don't… I don't trust that anything I say will be civil right now."

Her biotics flickered as she folded her arms. "Fine. Then I'll talk. Garrus, I don't care if you're a Spectre, this is _my_ mission. You want things to be like they were when we were chasing Saren? Fine, I value your input and would be more than happy to work _with_ you, but you can't let… whatever this is that we're doing, get in the way of command decisions. If you're a Spectre, then fucking act like it and have some kind of professional attitude."

His growl deepened. "_No_. You know what?" He asked, turning to face her, stepping towards her so that he was mere inches away, seemingly unfazed by her glowing biotics licking at his plates. "I tried that. The council sent me to chase down Kira because they weren't happy with how close we are, and I let them. I did my job and followed orders, and you know what? In the end, I _wasn't there_. You needed me and I wasn't there…"

Her gaze softened a little, but she refused to relax her stance, her senses all too keenly aware of the proximity of the predator, his eyes firmly fixed on her, sending shivers down her spine. "Garrus, you couldn't have changed what happened to me."

"Even so, I should have _been there_. You shouldn't have had to die alone."

_How did he know?_ She wondered, trying to not let her fear show through. That was what she remembered above all, not the blackness of space, but the deafening silence.

The knowledge that she was truly alone.

"Things happen, Garrus. We can't change them."

"No," he agreed, "but we can make sure they aren't repeated. I refuse to lose you again. Not like last time. You don't…" He trailed off, unsure of how to say what he needed to.

"Garrus, I know that you care about me, but I need to know that you'll be able to keep a level head."

He shook his head. "No, you _don't_ know. I don't just… I mean… what I'm trying to say is that… well, I… _Spirits_, I don't…"

She sighed a little, seeing clearly what was going on. He was overthinking things, as he always did. It was why she had been so forthright with him at his apartment. If given the time, he would overthink and allow his pessimism to get the better of him. So, she let her biotics flicker across her skin, stepping towards him. "Garrus, why is this different? How have things changed from when we were on the SR1?" She deliberately kept her tone sharp and demanding, not wanting to give him time to think. He needed to just _act_.

"Because-"

"Because _why_?!"

"Because I wasn't in love with you then!" _That_ stunned her into silence, but he just continued on, his voice sounding downright broken. "Because I didn't know what it was like to have you… or what it was like to lose you…"

_He loves me?_

It took her a few moments for that fact to _truly_ register, but as soon as it did, she was on him, faster than she could think, her biotics flaring as she pressed him against the wall, barely noting the surprise on his features. "And how do you think _I_ felt when I found you once more, only to almost lose you! I wake up from being dead, only to be told that the man I love has disappeared, gone off the grid, and when I finally find you again, you decide it's a good time to stop a _rocket_ with your _face_!" She paused for a moment, allowing her biotics to die down. "I can't lose you either, Garrus, but I _have_ to remain objective," She told him softly, her hand tracing the bandage on his face.

"The man you love, huh?"

"Caught that did you?" She asked, before kissing him, barely noticing how his hands made their way to the clasps of her armour. "I love you, Garrus Vakarian, and nothing will ever change that. Not even you being a stubborn asshole… Or you overthinking things."

He chuckled softly at that. "I'm really that bad, huh?" He asked, before bringing his head down to nuzzle her neck, his tongue on her soft skin causing her breath to hitch in her throat.

"Garrus," she managed through his distracting touch, "sometimes you have to just _act_. Luckily, I'm impulsive enough for both of us."

"Oh, you want impulsive, huh?" He asked, his hands wandering down to her hips, before pulling her flush against him, his hands working on the clasps of her armour once more as she moaned beneath his touch.

* * *

Sophia was still finding herself disbelieving as she traced her fingers lightly over her love's markings. "I love you," She told him once more, still getting used to saying it. She had never let someone get this close to her before. Sure, others had relied on her, had turned to her with their problems, but she had never reciprocated. She had been close to them, but they never been close to her. If it had been anyone else, she would be terrified, but she trusted Garrus with her life.

So, it hurt her to see him hurting, something she could see clearly through her biotics. Garrus was like her. He had been through the hell of the war, and had come out the other end changed by it, in ways he might otherwise have not been. But he had come out stronger. _Brighter_. But whatever had happened on Omega had dimmed that light, just the tiniest bit. Hadn't Tom described his sister like that once? _Dimmer_. She wondered if Tom could see the world through the blue haze of biotics like she could, although she supposed that he had almost outright said as much on Virmire.

She wondered how much of the twin's secret-keeping ability was down to Kira being so good at hiding information, and how much was to do with her simply being wilfully oblivious…

She sighed a little, her fingers moving to the bandage across his face as he pulled her closer to him, across the small gap between them in the cot that he had set up in the main battery. "What happened, Garrus?" She asked him softly. "On Omega, I mean."

He frowned a little before sighing in response. "You really want to talk about this now?"

She nodded. "It's bothering you, I can tell."

He sighed once more, taking a few moments to try to to arrange his thoughts. "Well, as I said, I tried to suggest that having the crew of the Normandy remain as it was, working for the Council, would help to heal the wounds left over by the war."

"And they didn't buy it?"

He shook his head. "Nope. They thought that I was just trying to spend more time with you. Which I was, but the idea still had merit. So, at the same time, Nihlus was trying to convince them to let him go after Kira."

"Ah, so let me guess: he managed to convince them that she was a threat, but they thought that it was too personal for him, so they sent you instead?"

"Exactly. So, neither of us were happy, but we just got on with it. It wasn't long before I started hearing rumours about Valkyrie. As soon as I confirmed them, the council made sure to keep Nihlus out of the Terminus Systems, away from Omega."

Sophia frowned. "Do they always take such an interest in your personal lives?"

"No, but if you'll remember, we were all pretty big in the news at the time."

She smirked a little in reply. "I remember that it made sneaking in and out of your apartment a real pain..."

"Well, apparently, the sneaking wasn't as sneaky as we thought."

She smiled a little at that, before returning to the original topic. "So, what happened once you found Kira?"

He sighed, his gaze finding the point furthest from her. "Then I found out that you were dead. I... went to Kira, demanding to know if she had known that you would die. She told me that she had, but that you were coming back. It wasn't... _easy_, but it helped to know that I would see you again. Anyway, the council wanted me to keep an eye on Kira, and she had found the mercs on Omega to be a good way to vent her frustration. She was right, it was a good way to keep my mind off of... stuff. And, somehow, we actually started to make a difference. It didn't take long for people to take notice. Eventually some wanted to help, and we ended up with a whole team. There were thirteen of us, including Kira and I, by the end."

"So, why were you two alone up there? What happened?"

"I'm sure Kira told you about the mercs getting to Sidonis..."

Sophia nodded. "Yeah. It sounded... brutal."

"At the time, all I saw was Kira. She came back to the base _covered_ in blood, almost incoherent. She managed to warn us about the attack, giving us enough time to get the others out, but... if she hadn't been there, things could have been a lot worse. Losing one man is bad enough."

"I'm sorry, Garrus..."

He shook his head. "It's just fresh right now, but I'll manage. I've lost people before, Soph. I mean, Spirits, remember Metgos?"

She nodded. "Yeah. You snuck into the covert base, took a prototype weapon, and made off like a bandit. That was when you gave me this scar," she indicated to where the thin line across her arm had once been, "or, you know, the scar that was there before Cerberus rebuilt me."

"There were five of us on that mission. I was the only one who made it out. But it still counted as a success. In fact, it was the mission that got me noticed for the Spectres."

Sophia's gaze dropped as she suddenly began to shy away from his touch. "Can we... can we really do this, Garrus? I killed three of those four. I countered that scar by giving you one of your own," her gaze dropped to the thin line across his right chest plate, "so how do you look at me and see anything else?"

He shrugged. "I could ask you the same question. But when it comes down to it, Soph, we may have been on opposite sides but... I can safely say that anything of value that I learnt, you taught me. Intentional or not. I think that I was bound to you the moment I saw you through my scope. I just... I knew that you were different, and you proved me right at every turn."

"You know, I would call you crazy if I hadn't felt the exact same thing. I guess we're stuck with each other, but you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way." She grinned at him, leaning forward to kiss him, only to struggle to move in the small space. "Okay, this is ridiculous. I have a massive, double bed upstairs. Come on, I crashed at your place for ages, it's only fair to return the favour..."


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: Guess who's back, back again...**

**Hey, mid-length chapter for you guys. Next chapter is going to be a long one (well, I say 'going to be', by the look of my notes it is, but that doesn't really mean shit...), so it might be a week or so until I get it up.**

**Thanks, as always, go out to everyone who reads this, with special thanks to everyone who has followed and faved. Super Mega-Zord thanks go out to DeltaAgent, Zombie Pixel and Guest (whoever you are!) for the reviews. It's always awesome to know that people enjoy reading this!**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 19 - ****The Time-Traveling is Just Too Dangerous. Better That I Devote Myself to Study the Other Great Mystery of the Universe: Women!**

"_Shepard, do you hear me?"_

"_Loud and clear," Sophia answered automatically. She appeared to be on the Citadel, but the familiar feeling of being trapped in her own body told her that she was in the strange dream world again. She walked into the middle of the street, ignoring the familiar warning sensation that told her a sniper had her in his scope._

"_All right, there he is. Wave him over and keep him talking."_

_The other Sophia, the one in control, seemed to know who Garrus was referring to as she turned to the turian sitting on one of the benches, indicating to him to walk over to her._

"_Let's get this over with," the turian told her, anxiously._

"_You're in my shot. Move to the side," Garrus told her through the comm._

_She tried to frown at that, but he body wouldn't respond. Why was Garrus trying to kill this turian? What had he done? Apparently, she didn't think that this turian deserved to die, as she didn't move. "Listen, Sidonis. I'm here to help you."_

_**Sidonis?**__ She thought. Sidonis was dead as far as she knew. Killed for information on Garrus' squad._

"_Don't ever say that name aloud." His eyes darted from side to side, as if expecting someone to jump out and kill him. __**Probably Garrus,**__ she figured._

"_I'm a friend of Garrus'. He wants you dead, but I'm hoping that's not necessary."_

"_Garrus? Is this some kind of joke?"_

"_Dammit, Shepard, if he moves, I'm taking the shot!"_

"_You're not kidding, are you? Screw this. I'm not sticking around here to find out. Tell Garrus I had my own problems..."_

_She grabbed him before he could walk off, keeping herself between him and Garrus. She had no idea what was going on but, no matter how much he wanted the target dead, she trusted Garrus to not shoot her. "Don't move."_

"_Get off me!" Sidonis yelled._

"_I'm the only thing standing between you and a hole in the head," she explained, growling a little with warning._

"_Fuck... Look, I didn't want to do it, I didn't have a choice." Sophia didn't know what __**it**__ was, but it was clearly the reason Garrus wanted to put a bullet through his head._

"_Everyone has a choice," Garrus growled in reply, the anger saturating his tone making Sophia wonder, just for the briefest of moments, if he might actually shoot her to get his target._

"_They got to me. Said they'd kill me if I didn't help. What was I supposed to do?"_

_**That**__ allowed Sophia to piece together what had happened. Whatever this dream world was, in it, Sidonis had handed over the information to the mercs, instead of them having to take it from him. So the others hadn't known about the attack beforehand._

_They had probably been killed._

_No wonder Garrus wanted him dead._

"_Let me take the shot, Shepard. He's a damn coward."_

_**That may be,**__ she thought, __**but you're not a murderer.**__ Apparently, her other self agreed, at least partially._

"_That's it?" she demanded. "You were just trying to save yourself?" She remained in front of him as he began to move once more._

"_I know what I did. I know they died because of me, and I have to live with that. I wake up every night... sick... and sweating. Each of their faces staring at me... accusing me. I'm already a dead man. I don't sleep. Food has no taste. Some days I just want it to be over."_

"_Just give me the chance," Garrus told her, but Sophia couldn't, and she doubted that she would._

"_You gotta let it go, Garrus. He's already paying for his crime."_

"_He hasn't paid enough. He still has his life."_

"_Look at him, Garrus. He's not alive... there's nothing left to kill."_

"_My men... they deserved better." Her heart twinged at the broken edge to his voice. He was right, they did, but not like this. Never like this._

"_Tell Garrus... I guess there's nothing I can say to make it right..."_

"_Just... go. Tell him to go..."_

_There was that broken sound again, making her want to kill Sidonis herself for hurting Garrus so, a sentiment her other self seemed to share as her biotics crackled lightly over her skin. "He's giving you a second chance, Sidonis. Don't waste it."_

"_I'll try, Garrus... I'll make it up to you somehow. Thank you, for talking to him."  
_

_Sophia simply nodded, although she knew that she hadn't done it for him. She had done it for Garrus..._

* * *

Sophia bolted upright, gasping as she woke from her dream. It was mere seconds before Garrus wrapped his arms around her, gently nuzzling her neck.

"You okay?" he asked softly.

She smiled weakly, nodding. "Yeah, just a really _weird_ dream. It was kind of like the one I had before Ilos."

"What one before Ilos?" he asked, causing her to blush a little.

"I, erm..." She frowned, turning to her love, her hand moving up to gently trace his bandage. "It was so strange. I couldn't control anything I did or said, but it was _here_."

He frowned, looking around the room. "Just now, or before Ilos?"

"Before Ilos. I dreamt of being here, in _this_ room, with _these _scars." She indicated to the network of glowing oranges lines across her skin. "And then you showed up, scars and all," her gaze rested on the bandages across his face, "and you... erm, well, it seemed like a date. Like a first date."

"So, what? You saw the future?"

She shrugged. "Well, we've already _had_ a... wait, no, I guess technically we haven't... But, still, I spoke to Kira about it but she was as evasive as ever. But, the thing that she reacted to was when I mentioned the name Sidonis... Garrus, are you sure he's dead?"

He nodded, his subharmonics trilling with sorrow. "Yeah. I went back to... he deserved better than to just be left there."

"Sorry... I didn't mean to- just, he was in this dream and it sounded as if he gave over the information to save himself."

He frowned once more. "Kira never trusted him. Said that she thought that he would betray us. Maybe he did where she came from, but not here."

Sophia sighed, nodding. "Maybe that's what I'm seeing. Things that happened in Kira and Tom's timeline. Or, hell, maybe they're just dreams. It would be nice for things to be that simple for once."

"Yeah, but when have we ever done simple?"

"You think I'm crazy, don't you?"

He shook his head, frowning a little. "No... what you're describing sounds... familiar. Turians don't dream but... sometimes, when I was on Omega, I would wake up thinking of you, almost as if I had been reliving a memory... just one that I couldn't remember."

"Yeah, that's exactly how it feels. I mean, the ones last night and before Ilos are the only ones I can remember, but I'm sure there have been others. It always leaves the same feeling of... something just on the edge of my thoughts..." She smiled, shaking her head, before sighing, looking over at the time. "We'd better get up if we want to get Jack," she told him, pulling her hair back, frowning as she looked around her room, only to remember that she no longer had her hair ribbon. It was an odd little ritual that he observed every morning, making him wonder how long it would take before she stopped looking for it.

Garrus nodded, his thoughts returning to their conversation as Sophia settled on a bobble. "Okay, but... we should probably ask Kira or Tom about these dreams."

"I don't think they'll tell us anything."

"Then, maybe Mordin. At least he might be able to tell us something."

* * *

"Hey, Mordin. Got a minute?" Sophia asked as she entered the lab, a little nervous, given how crazy she was sure she sounded. Then again, it wouldn't be the first time she'd had little more to go on than strange dreams and vague hints from Kira.

"Yes. Was actually meaning to talk to you. Worried about Kira."

Sophia frowned, folding her arms. As far as she could tell, Kira seemed to be doing as well as she ever did. She and Tom still weren't talking, despite Sophia's constant prodding, but she otherwise seemed good. "What's wrong?"

"Reason plague got her. Nanobot replication protocols altered. Slowed down."

"So fix it."

"Not malfunction. Deliberate."

Sophia's frown deepened with worry. "You mean Kira did this to herself? _Why_?"

Mordin shrugged, something Sophia figured he had probably picked up from Kira. "Unsure. But dangerous. Systems have become reliant on nanobots. Makes her prone to disease. Should reactivate immediately."

Sophia sighed, biting her lip a little as she tried to figure out what to do with the younger woman. "Have you talked to her about this already?"

He shook his head. "More likely to listen to family. Suggest you, Archangel, or Tom talk to her."

"Well, I don't really see how Garrus or I will help if she needs to hear it from family, but I guess if I can't get Tom to do it, we might be the best alternative. I'll see if I can't talk some sense into him."

Mordin frowned a little, wondering if Shepard was deliberately taking what he had said the wrong way. He had noticed her ignoring the obvious clues in front of her, and so had taken to dropping some less subtle ones, just to see how she reacted. He suspected that, on some level, Shepard and Archangel already knew Tom and Kira's true identity, but were remaining wilfully ignorant.

He wondered how long it would be until something happened that couldn't be so easily ignored…

* * *

"Tom, we need to talk."

Tom immediately stood straight, his subharmonics instinctively trilling with apology right off the bat. He knew _that_ tone. He was in trouble. "Mo-Ma'am?" He cursed himself silently for the near slip.

"Why haven't you spoken to your sister yet?" Shepard asked, evidently missing his mistake.

"I've tried," he answered quickly, "but she keeps on avoiding me."

Sophia sighed, shaking her head. "Tom, I'm worried. Is there a reason why she would make her implants malfunction?"

He shrugged. "They always malfunction from time to time. She'll fix it when she has an opportun-"

Sophia shook her head, interrupting him. "No, Tom, she is _making_ them malfunction. On purpose. I just… I can't think of why she would be doing it, but Mordin tells me it's dangerous."

Tom's skin paled beneath his plates, his subharmonics trilling with worry. "As far as I know, there _isn't_ a reason. I-I'll talk to her, I promise."

Sophia nodded. "Thank you. But right now I need you to suit up. I suspect I'm going to need all of the biotic reinforcements I can get."

"Why? Who are we going after?"

"Jack."

* * *

"_Try it again."_

_Tom's subharmonics whined a little with frustration. Every part of him ached. "I'm never going to get it!" he growled._

_His instructor simply shook her head. "Whining isn't going to help you. You sound like a little girl. Come on, Kira wouldn't whine nearly this much, I bet."_

_Tom growled at that. "I'm tired!" he argued._

"_Then have an energy bar and __**try again**__. I'm going easy on you compared to what the Hierarchy are going to be like."_

"_They won't even want me. I'm not strong enough."_

"_Bullsh- Rubbish! We both know that you're biotics are powerful. Hell, they might even be as strong as your mother's. Now, try again."_

_He gave an odd half-sigh, half-growl before nodding, knowing that he wouldn't win the argument. "You know, I've heard you swear before, Aunt Jack."_

_She smirked, folding her arms. "Not at school, you haven't…"_

* * *

"You three good to go?" Sophia asked Garrus, Tom and Zaeed as she approached the airlock.

"Kira's not coming with?" Garrus asked.

Sophia quickly entered the airlock, waiting for the decon cycle to start before talking. "She's… Garrus, did she ever mention messing with her implants when you two were on Omega?"

He shook his head. "I know that she did, but not the specifics. Plus, she seemed to run most of it by Mordin."

Sophia sighed. "It might be nothing and Tom'll talk to her when we get back, but we might want to keep an eye on her. And I don't feel comfortable bringing her with us until I'm sure that whatever this is won't affect her in battle. So, Zaeed's filling in for now."

The old merc nodded at the mention of his name. "So," he indicated to Garrus, "the crew tells me that he's your boyfriend."

Sophia nodded. "Yeah. Problem?"

He shook his head. "Not at all. But, who's the kid?" He indicated to Tom. "They brothers or something?"

Sophia sighed, getting sick of answering these questions. "As crazy as it sounds, Tom and his sister, Kira, are from the future. It's a really long story and I promise to tell you it all later."

"Kira the redhead with you in Afterlife?"

Sophia nodded. "Yeah."

Zaeed frowned at that, his gaze passing between the three in the airlock. "So, how far in the future are they from?"

"Thirty years," Garrus answered, earning him shocked looks from both Sophia and Tom. He shrugged. "Kira told me when we were on Omega."

Zaeed narrowed his eyes further. "So…" He stopped talking when he noticed the glare Tom was giving him. "I'll take that as a 'no', then…"

"So, we get in, get Jack, and get out," Sophia told them, ignoring the exchange between the two. "I don't like the look of the set-up here."

Garrus nodded. "It was used to house POWs during the war. Now it's a private prison facility."

"The kind that sells its prisoners. Dodgy as fucking hell, so this has to be quick," Sophia told them. "It doesn't help that Jack is an unknown factor."

Tom nodded. "I don't have any info on her this far back in the timeline. Only that you really don't want to cross her. She's pretty much as strong as Shepard and I."

* * *

"_Hey, Tom!"_

_Tom turned to see his sister bounding over to him, grinning. "Hey, Kira."_

"_The older kids showed me how to hack more advanced systems. A little more practice and I could probably hack the Shadow Broker's files."_

_He usually found Kira's enthusiasm infectious, especially when she was like this, her eyes lit up with excitement, but he was just too tired. Too tired of failing. Of people expecting him to be as good as his mother._

"_You know, people always expect me to be like Mama, but I definitely get my tech skills from Papa," she told him. "Mama always tells us to be our own people, and this is no different. You shouldn't try to be her. Be __**you**__."_

_He smiled, shaking his head. "When did you get so smart?" he asked as they passed into the corridor. He couldn't help but note how, despite easily being the youngest two there by a few years, they didn't look out of place amongst the older teenagers wandering the halls._

"_I've always been smart, fratellino. You were just too busy with your friends to notice."_

_Her tone wasn't bitter in any way, but Tom couldn't help but feel guilty regardless. He'd been a pretty terrible brother in the past few years, putting popularity above his sister, but the second __**he**__ had become an outsider, she had dropped everything to make sure he wasn't alone. "I didn't have that many friends, sorellina. It was only really Cai, and you couldn't hang out with us because you're a girl."_

_She huffed, taking offense at that. "What are you, eight? Plus, I can do boy things too! You know, my instructor says he's never seen anyone take to a sniper rifle as quickly as I have."_

_Tom's subharmonics trilled with disbelief at that. "You got permission for weapons tuition? Since when?"_

"_Since I completed all of the academic courses for the next few years. It's all that's really left for me to do."_

"_You got permission from Dad, didn't you?"_

"_I'm pretty sure he ran it by Mama."_

_Tom frowned. "Kira, don't you think you should call her 'mom'. I mean, we'll be thirteen in a few months."_

_Her gaze darkened, dropping to the floor. "Yeah, you're probably right. Don't want to seem like a child, huh?"_

"_Just... here's not been as bad as home, but you still shouldn't give them ammunition."_

"_Aw, you actually worried about me?" she teased._

_He rolled his eyes. "See, this is why I don't do nice things for you..."_

* * *

Sophia couldn't decide if the looks she was getting were because she was a human, or if her instincts had been right and something else was going on.

Of course, her question was answered all too quickly.

"You know, for once I would just like a _simple_ mission. One in which someone doesn't try to kill me."

Garrus chuckled a little at that. "Soph, you can barely walk down the street without someone trying to kill you."

Sophia sighed at that. "God, can you imagine how difficult it would be if I ever tried to live a normal life? I'll be fucking holding off assassins at the bloody school gates. We're talking firefights at the supermarket. It would not be pretty."

"Maybe you'd just need a really good sniper at your back." Garrus tensed a little with surprise as he realised what he had just said, his mouth running away from him in the heat of battle. Not that he hadn't meant it, but it had been mere weeks since they had found each other again, since he had told her that he loved her, and he suspected that he was getting ahead of himself, although he couldn't help it. He loved her, more than he had ever thought possible, and, although he didn't often think of the future - a habit acquired during years of fighting a war that had taken his mother's life - he couldn't really see one without her in it.

He chanced a look over to her, seeing a light pink blush across her cheeks as she smiled in a way that he would have said was possibly _awkward_, if it wasn't for the fact that this was _Sophia_. She was forthright and bold, _never_ sheepish.

And he'd managed to make her _blush_.

"You might be right," she answered, and it was his turn to blush a little beneath his plates, his subharmonics chirping with happiness, causing her grin to widen as he remembered that she could hear them.

"And I thought her parents were bad," Zaeed grumbled to Tom as the turian just shrugged. As fucked up as everything else was, between Tali not returning his messages properly (all he received were short replies, telling him that she'd rather do things face-to-face, something that, while he agreed with it, kept him worrying just what had happened, what _exactly_ he had done) and Kira seemingly going to a lot of effort just to hurt herself in all-new and creative ways for Spirits only knew what reason, it was nice to have something going right.

"Come on," Sophia told them as she took down the last two mercs blocking their path, heading through to where Jack was being held.

She stood back, letting Garrus handle the turian-designed controls.

"Jack's being held in that chamber," he told them.

"Can you get them out?" Shepard asked.

"Yeah, but it'll open every cell in the block."

Sophia sighed. "Alright then... What was that you said before about us not doing simple?"

He smiled in reply as he keyed in the release sequence, opening the chamber to reveal a small-ish human woman, although Shepard had known enough like her on the streets of Earth to know that looks could be deceiving, especially when she had, apparently, put all of her effort into making herself look more intimidating.

Her suspicions were confirmed when Jack awoke, quickly activating her biotics in order to pull herself free before running off.

"I thought Jack was a boys name," Garrus commented.

Sophia just shrugged. "Come on, we'd better follow her..."

* * *

_**HELP! OLDER KIDS GOT ME! NO TIME!**_

_Tom had started sprinting the second he had finished reading the message, knowing that if his sister had been desperate enough to send it, things were bad. He followed the tracker she had sent along with the message, eventually rounding a corner to find several of the older biotics surrounding his sister as she lay, face down, on the floor._

_He growled, unable to make a more intelligent sound as he let loose his biotics with the full force of his fury, easily overpowering the barriers that the older kids put up to protect themselves. They may have more training than he did, but he didn't have an inconsiderable amount, his raw power quickly making up for lack of experience as he threw the other kids around as if they were rag dolls._

_He only stopped when he found himself frozen in place by a particularly strong barrier._

"_I told you this was a bad idea!" Kira yelled over his shoulder as she sat up, seemingly fine, although he couldn't register that fact through his anger that refused to dissipate._

"_Nonsense. Getting beat up by a twelve year old might actually inspire these guys to work harder." He recognised his Aunt Jack's voice as she approached, frowning a little as he continued to try to force his way through the barrier, feeling it give a little as he poured every ounce of anger-fuelled strength into breaking free. "Your brother doesn't lack ability or training. He lacks a reason to fight. Although, this may have been too good a reason…"_

_Kira sighed, making her way towards her brother, but her aunt put her hand on her shoulder, holding her back. "I wouldn't do that if I were you…"_

"_He won't hurt me," Kira said with a certainty that no one else in the room shared, shrugging off her aunt's hand as she continued towards where her brother was fighting to get loose. "Tom? Tom, look, it's okay. I'm here, I'm alright."_

_He seemed to calm a little at that, but not enough. Jack watched closely, wanting to pull Kira back, but knowing that she was the best bet for calming her brother down, although it was difficult to not have her gaze drawn to the scars down the girl's left arm, left by her brother's biotics when he had first used them, defending her against the bullies that had tried to harm her. Jack had, foolishly, thought that he older students would be able to handle the turian boy, but she hadn't thought that he would manage to release his biotics in full force like this._

"_Tom, you got them. I'm safe. I promise." That seemed to do it, her brother's biotics fading away quickly as the exhaustion caught up with him._

"_Kira…?" he managed just before passing out._

* * *

"Jack!" Sophia yelled as they reached the docking bay, only to find the biotic woman distracted by the Cerberus logo on the side of the Normandy – something Sophia loathed, almost as much as the logos on the clothes they had given her.

"What the fuck are Cerberus doing here?" Jack demanded, her biotics flaring in Shepard's direction, earning her a growl from Garrus.

"Well," Sophia replied, "_I_ am here to ask for your help. Cerberus are just… paying the bills…"

Jack scoffed at that, ignoring Sophia's sincerity. "If you think I'm going anywhere in a Cerberus ship, you're insane!"

Sophia sighed, but it was Tom that spoke up. "Look, either you come with us, or you die here. Your choice."

Jack laughed a little at that. "Do you have any idea what I am, Turian? What they built me for?"

He shrugged. "Probably the same thing they built me for," he told her, letting his biotics flare a little, "but sometimes you have to balance the things you want, including revenge."

"What I _want_ is access to Cerberus files."

Sophia nodded. "We can do that."

Jack nodded. "Fine…"

* * *

_Tom awoke groggily in the medbay of the academy, his sister sitting beside him. She looked tired, he thought as she gave him a worried look, her eyes wide with more than a little fear. Presumably for what his reaction would be to her involvement in the stunt that had him groggy with biotic exhaustion._

"_Are you okay?" she asked quietly, fidgeting where she sat._

"_Yeah…" he replied as he tried to sit up._

_She just gave him a slightly pained look, clearly upset by his predicament. "I'm sorry… I tried to warn her but-"_

"_But you don't disobey orders," he finished for her. Kira was just too damn good sometimes._

"_I'm sorry," she repeated, her voice hollow as her subharmonics trilled with strangled apology._

_He let his subharmonics trill back with reassurance, trying to give her a reassuring smile to back them up. "It's okay, Kira. You were just trying to help. I just… Kira, you saw how much damage I did…"_

_She frowned a little with realisation. "Tom… have you been deliberately holding back so that you don't hurt anyone?"_

_He looked away, clamping down on his subharmonics. "Kira, you remember what happened when I first came into my biotics… I never want that to happen again. It was just luck that I didn't hurt you today."_

_She shook her head. "This was different. You know how to control your biotics now. You wouldn't have hurt me." He found himself surprised by the certainty with which she told him that. He sure as hell wasn't certain…_

"_How can you be so sure of that?"_

_She smiled, shrugging. "Because I know you, fratellino. You have to stop worrying about others and worry about yourself for once. The best way to not harm anyone is to get __**better**__ with your biotics, not try to ignore them."_

"_I guess all my biotics need is the right trigger, huh?"_

"_Well then, I guess I'd better make sure I'm always around to pretend to have to be rescued."_

* * *

"Look, give me that info and we won't have a problem," Jack told Sophia simply.

She nodded. "Alright then," she turned to Miranda, "give her access."

Miranda balked at that. "_Commander!_"

Sophia sighed, folding her arms. "While you're at it, I want absolutely _everything_ you have on my parents and what _exactly_ you did to me, both before I was born and when I was on that damn table."

Miranda didn't move, seemingly stuck in place with shock. "Problem, Lawson?"

"N-No, Commander…" she eventually managed.

Sophia sighed as she left the room. "I suspect she's going to bitch to her boss, but I couldn't care less at this point."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "So, what did they do to you?"

Sophia shrugged. "Tried to make an assassin to kill all the turians. Didn't exactly work out like they expected."

"You do know that you're famous for killing turians, right? Specifically, trying to kill the one that you now seem to be working with…"

"You mean Garrus? Oh, yeah, we're dating now. Working with turians isn't going to be a problem with you, is it?"

Jack's eyes widened before she shook her head. "No, they may have tried to use me as a tool in their damn war, but I have no problem with aliens," she told Sophia before pausing. "You know what? I might actually not have to kill you, Shepard."

"Don't call me Shepard. It's Sophia."

Jack nodded. "Okay, Sophia. What was with the other turian?"

"Tom? Oh, he and his sister were also results of Cerberus tampering. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a member of my ground team that doesn't hate our employer, actually…"

"Well, if you need me, I'll be in the darkest corner I can find."

"Fair enough. There's a nice little spot in lower engineering that should be empty..."

* * *

"Hey!"

Kira stirred at the familiar voice, groaning as her head began to pound once more. She hadn't quite managed to get to sleep, but she had found the dark, quiet space in lower engineering a good place to relax, trying to get some respite from the pounding headache that had been plaguing her for days.

But now her peace and quiet was being interrupted by-

By Jack.

Kira sat up, shaking her head, as if trying to shake off her groggy state. "Ah, sorry. I didn't even realise they'd left the ship..."

Jack just frowned at her. "Who are you?"

"Kira. I'm Tom's sister. I'm assuming Shepard at least took him with her..."

Jack nodded. "Yeah. Now get the hell out of my space."

"Don't worry, I'll get rid of her," Tom told Jack as he approached, pulling his sister up by the arm. Jack stared at the two of them as they left, her eyes narrowing, but she didn't say anything.

Once they entered the brightly lit corridor, Kira groaned, her hands flying up to shield her eyes. "Too bright," she mumbled.

Tom rolled his eyes. "Of course it is," he replied loudly, causing her to flinch away.

"Tom, don't-"

"Don't what, Kira? What's wrong?" he demanded.

She shook her head. "My nanites are acting up. I just haven't had ti-"

"Bullshit!" He yelled, before realising they were still in the corridor. He quickly headed into the empty cargo bay, Kira following behind reluctantly. "I know that you've been causing them to malfunction, but I can't understand _why_. Why in the hell would you deliberately hurt yourself, Kira?"

She shook her head, agitatedly. "Spirits, you make it sound like I'm doing it because I'm depressed or something. I _have_ a reason for doing this, Tom."

"Then damn well _explain_ it, because I can't comprehend what this reason could possibly be!"

"Tom, my system relies heavily on them and if they break, then I am _fucked_. I'm trying to ween myself off of my reliance on them."

He groaned, shaking his head. "Kira, even _I_ know that's bullshit. All you're doing is making it _more_ likely that your arm will malfunction, which is something you _really_ can't afford in this time period."

She sighed, her gaze dropping. "I figured it was worth a shot. At least for now, until I can figure out how to shut off some of the healing programs..."

He frowned. "Kira, why would you want to shut off the enhanced healing?"

Her gaze locked with his at that. "Look at me, Tom. With the exception of my arms, how many scars do I have?"

"Well... none."

She nodded. "They heal all my scars, because, you know, there's no possible reason why I might actually _want_ to keep them."

He frowned at the sarcasm dripping from her words. "Kira, why _do_ you want to keep them?"

She bent her neck to the side, giving him a meaningful look. "What do you see?"

"Nothi-" He stopped himself before he finished what he had been about to say, realising what was bothering his sister.

"Yeah," she replied, bitterly. "Nothing... if you look closely, you can see the faint lines but... it's been two years, even without nanites, it would have healed up mostly."

Tom sighed. "Kira... maybe it's better. I mean, you _have _moved on."

"Tom, I've come to terms with what happened. I mean, I would have made the decision to come here if I had been been given the option, if I had known the stakes, all I missed was a goodbye." She shook her head from her thoughts. "Regardless, I may have put my demons to rest, but that doesn't mean that I want to pretend that Cai and I were never married."

"Kira, only you would think losing one scar would change that. I mean, just look at your face." He indicated to the purple markings painted onto her skin. "But, regardless of what can be seen on the outside, being with Caius changed you. You'll never be able to just _pretend_ that it never happened."

She nodded, folding her arms. "I just... I know that I can be selfish and fail to think before I act, but I didn't want to do that when it came to... dealing with losing him. I don't want it to look like I'm trying to erase the past, because I'm not."

Tom shook his head. "You're allowed to grieve in your own way, sorellina. Stop trying to live up to the expectations of others. What happened to the kid who told me that we should be our own people?"

She gave him a weak smile. "She bailed out... she took the first excuse she could to escape the pressure she was under, and then never stopped trying to make up for it..."

"Kira, you don't have to make anything up to me."

"I thought you were still mad," she admitted. "About... not telling you, I mean..."

He sighed. "I _was_ mad, but Tali helped me realise that I probably wouldn't have done things differently..." He sighed. "Kira, if I was ever less than sympathetic about you losing Cai, I apologise..."

"You were fine, Tom. You were dealing the best you knew how and I didn't make it easy on you. I should be the one apologising..." She paused before frowning a little. "So, how did you even know about the nanites?"

"Promise you'll fix them?"

She nodded. "Promise."

"Mordin told Mom."

Kira groaned, folding her arms once more. "How bad?"

"She's worried. It's why she didn't take you with us to get Jack."

Kira nodded before her gaze rested on EDI's terminal. "_Shit..._" she muttered. "EDI, did you hear what Tom just said?" Her brother's subharmonics trilled with alarm at that.

"I observe all conversations on board the ship, Kirayna," the AI answered.

"EDI, I think we both know what I meant."

"Yes, I heard your brother refer to Commander Shepard as 'mom'."

"Dammit. I don't suppose you could not tell anyone about this?"

"You can choose to classify the information, but if I am directly asked by a higher ranking member of the crew then I will be forced to answer."

Kira sighed, shaking her head. "So we're good as long as Miranda and Mom don't ask the right questions?"

"Correct."

Kira smiled at the terminal. "Thank you, EDI. I knew there was a reason I liked you."

"So, how many people know now?" Tom asked.

Kira sighed. "You know, it might just be faster to list who _doesn't_ know at this point. Since Mom and Dad started dating, it's like a giant neon sign pointing to the truth. Before, at least, it was ridiculous that Shepard would have a turian son, or Garrus, a human daughter. Now, however, it's not exactly a huge leap..."

"Well, I think the only ones who don't know are Mom and Dad. I'm pretty sure Uncle Z pieced it together earlier," Tom told her.

"Chakwas has been onto us since she first treated me on the SR1 and Mordin figured it out when Mom and I went to pick him up," she added, sighing. "How long do you think before everyone knows?"

"By 'everyone', you mean Mom and Dad, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"I think that they don't want to see it, and that's going to buy us time..."

"I hope you're right..."

* * *

"Who was it?" Garrus asked, referring to the message that Sophia had received on her omni-tool as his mate climbed tiredly into bed next to him.

"Mordin. Apparently Kira just asked for help fixing her nanobots. Looks like she and Tom are probably talking again. I worry about those two," she admitted.

"Yeah, me too," he told her. "So, what did Mordin say about the weird dreams?"

"See, I _knew_ I was forgetting something! Sorry, with all of the Kira drama, I completely forgot. I'll ask him tomorrow."

Garrus smiled at her, pulling her close to him. "It's okay, my love. Although, I could give you something _else_ to dream about."

She smirked at the suggestion in his tone. "No arguments here, amore mio..."


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: Cat's back, tell a friend...**

**You guys: Wait, have you just been singing Without Me by Eminem in the last couple of author's notes?  
****Me: That's absurd.  
****You guys: You're absurd.  
****Me: Oh yeah? Wanna say that to my face?  
****You Guys: You're absurd.  
****Me: That's absurd!**

**And that, boys and girls, is why you shouldn't drink and post content online...**

**Been sitting on this for a few days, just to make sure I'm happy with it. Still not sure, but, then again, I never am.**

**I've been writing this to a soundtrack, so I figured I might as well share. Every couple has a few songs that I listen to while writing them:**

**Sophia and Garrus:  
****Anyone Else But You - The Mouldy Peaches  
You and Me - One Night Only  
Soldier - Ingrid Michaelson**

**Kira and Caius:  
Tire Swing - Kimya Dawson  
Time Travel - Never Shout Never  
Breathe Again - Sara Bareilles**

**Kira and Nihlus:  
Piazza, New York Catcher - Belle and Sebastian  
Hansard - Laurena Segura  
Dark Trance - Free Energy**

**Tom and Tali:  
Sea of Love - Cat Power  
All the Pretty Girls - Fun.  
Bra- No, wait, spoilers... ^^**

**Yeah, I pretty much write these with this playlist on repeat. ^^**

**Side note for anyone who also reads Finding Me: The next chapter might take a little while because I left my notebook at my friend's place and it has all of my plot notes, so I kind of need it to get started...**

**Thanks to everyone who reads, with special thanks for everyone who follows and favourites. Special, mega, awesome thanks go out to march4fun, DeltaAgent and Zombie Pixel for the epic reviews. You guys rock!**

**Alright, apologies for the rambling, now on with the chapter!**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 20 - I Don't Want to be a Statue!**

"_Tali, are you sure?" Tom asked softly, trying not to let his own nerves show as his mind blocked out the rest of the newly sterilized room, only focusing on the woman in front of him._

_She nodded, her hands moving up to the clasps of her helmet. "Yeah, Tom, I'm sure. I want to do this with you."_

"_Wait a moment," he told her, his hand wrapping around her wrist. He could tell that she was giving him a questioning look beneath her mask._

"_I just... I wanted to give you this before..." He trailed off, pulling a leather bracelet from his pocket, wrapping it around her wrist so that it fit snugly over her suit._

"_Tom, it's beautiful," she breathed, her fingers trailing lightly across it, noting the words written in deep blue turian lettering. She couldn't read it herself, her helmet struggling to translate the stylised font. "What does it say?"_

"_It doesn't really translate well. Kind of like, 'a thousand sunsets won't dim the light of my love for you'... I know, it's silly, but I swear it sounds better in turian..."_

_He could have sworn that she was blushing beneath her helmet as she pressed her forehead to his through the glass. "Tom, I love it. But, I should really wear it __**beneath**__ my suit, just so that it doesn't come to any harm while I'm crawling around in engines."_

_He frowned a little at that. "Actually, it's meant to go over..."_

_She paused for a moment before bringing her hand up to his face, noting that the colour of the words was the exact shade of blue of his markings. "Tom, it this...?"_

_He nodded. "I don't know what you know about turian customs but... this is my way of saying that I'm serious about you."_

"_Tom, as far as I know, you'd only give something like this to someone you'd seriously consider marking."_

"_That's true," he admitted. "Tali, I'm not saying that we should get bonded tomorrow, I'm just saying that I love you, more than I ever thought possible, and I doubt that will ever change."_

_Her hands moved to the clasps of her helmet faster than he could track and, before he knew it, soft lips were on him as his love finally touched her skin to his own._

* * *

Tom groaned as he woke up, wanting desperately to return to the dream world in which he had just relived the first time he had made love to Tali, his memory recalling her every curve perfectly.

He sighed, sitting up, as he grabbed some civies that weren't really to his tastes. He had always prefered more human clothing, but getting them to fit him in this timeline wasn't exactly easy, so he was stuck in his current retro turian look.

Even once he finished dressing, the dream remained, refusing to fade as he returned to the waking world. He supposed that his propensity for dreaming should have been a dead giveaway that he wasn't one hundred percent turian, but he'd never thought about it too much.

He just wished that he didn't have to relive memories that only made him even more keenly aware of the fact that he was waking up alone, he thought to himself as he entered the mess hall, sitting down next to Kira as she was mid-conversation with the majority of the rest of the ground crew.

"Wait, you were still wearing your cloak?" Jack asked as Tom arrived.

Kira nodded. "Well, I was already on thin ice with the CO. Last thing I wanted was to get caught sneaking around in Cai's quarters."

Jack frowned. "Wait, I thought turians were okay with fraternization…"

"Well, yeah, but they were just looking for an excuse to reprimand me. They were really inconsistent about whether they would hold me to turian rules or human ones. Assholes. But, anyway, I had to cloak right in the middle of-"

Tom raised his hand. "Okay, I _really_ don't need to hear this."

Kira smirked. "Oh please, do you know how many times I had to listen to the other girls gossip about _you_? It was reason number one for leaving."

"I thought reason number one for leaving was that they kicked you out," he teased.

She shook her head at that as Sophia and Garrus entered the room.

Sophia's gaze immediately swept the room, noting that, while most of the ground team was present - including Jacob, a little surprisingly - Miranda and the rest of the Cerberus crew were giving the aliens, and anyone who freely associated with them, a wide berth. It set Sophia's hackles up. She hated to see this kind of intolerance, and she was seeing it every day right now.

"You can't kill them all, my love," Garrus told her, making her realise that she had been growling a little. He didn't miss the way her skin darkened just a shade as he called her 'my love' in public, but she didn't object.

"You sure?" She pouted a little in jest, earning her a soft chuckle.

"You'd have no one left to run the ship."

She smiled before turning to the others. "So, what are you guys talking about?"

"Kira was telling stories," Jack told them, grinning wickedly at the way Kira shot her a mock glare. "She was actually just about to finish this one about-"

"No, she wasn't," Tom interrupted.

Kira smirked once more at that. "Yeah, we have other stories. Ones that won't traumatise my brother, at least."

"What happened to being tight-lipped about the future?" Sophia asked as she sat down.

Kira shrugged. "I figured a few personal anecdotes wouldn't screw up the timeline."

"Perhaps one from childhood," Mordin supplied, earning him a _real_ glare from the twins.

"Yeah," Zaeed agreed. "You must have some interesting ones about growing up in a cross-species family."

Kira shrugged once more. "Not really…"

"Yeah," Tom agreed, "it was all pretty boring."

"Really? Not _one_ story?" Chakwas asked.

Thankfully, Sophia stepped in at that point. "Come on; if they don't want to talk about it, leave them be."

The others were about to protest when Garrus spoke up. "We need more dextro supplies, my love. I don't think Cerberus planned on having so many dextro eaters on board."

Jack frowned. "There are only two of you."

Kira spoke up at that. "Right. My bad. In my defence, it really does taste better than the levo stuff."

"I'll take your word for it," Sophia replied.

"Why? I thought Cerberus upgraded your dextro tolerance when you were… Well, anyway, you should be able to eat dextro stuff just fine now."

"Well, I guess I'll test it once we pick up some more supplies on the Citadel."

Garrus frowned. "We're going to the Citadel?"

She nodded. "Yeah. One of the people we have to recruit is there. Plus, Anderson messaged and, well, I should _probably_ check in with the Alliance. Don't you have to check in with the Council, anyway?"

He remained silent for a moment too long. "Yeah, I guess I do…"

"Come on, I was just about to plot a course." They got up, heading towards the lift. Once out of earshot of the others, Sophia turned to her love, scanning his features for a sign of what might be wrong. "What is it, amore mio? Why don't you want to go to the Citadel?"

He sighed, shaking his head. "I just… I don't want them to order me away from you again. That's not an order I'll be able to follow, Soph."

"I… I thought of that. But they'll find out that we're working together soon, anyway. And, once they do, they could order you back anyway. I figure if we go to them first, we might have a better shot at getting them to allow you to stay."

He nodded, sighing. "I guess you're right. I just… I don't want to lose you."

She stepped closer, pressing her forehead to his. "You'll never lose me, amore mio. I promise you that."

* * *

Kira folded her arms at the smirking members of the crew, who were all exchanging amused looks as Sophia and Garrus left the room. "You all think that this is some big joke, don't you?"

"What is, dear?" Chakwas asked, earning her a glare.

"Oh, stop it. We know that most of you know, or at least suspect, the truth."

"Well, to be fair, you are the spitting image of your mother," Zaeed countered, earning them all an eye roll.

"Look, could everyone just _stop_ dropping hints?"

Jacob frowned. "Wait, what are you guys talking about?"

Jack smirked. "Kira and Tom don't want their parents to know that they're their parents."

"Right, but who are their parents?"

"Shepard and Archangel," Mordin answered.

"Wait, _seriously_?"

Tom groaned, sharing a worried look with his sister. "Look guys," he said, "you clearly all find this highly amusing, but I can guarantee that letting them know will be nothing short of awkward and will, ultimately, distract from the mission."

"You kids worry too much," Zaeed told them.

"Yeah, thanks, Uncle Z," Kira said, getting a little satisfaction from the surprised look on his face. "What? You didn't think Mom was the only Shepard you taught to shoot, did you? But take that awkward surprise, times it by about a million, and you'll get what'll happen if _they_ find out, okay?"

Chakwas nodded. "It was why I never told her my suspicions on the SR1. But, you do know that they'll find out eventually? And Sophia will be less than impressed that you spent so long lying to her."

"Yeah, you don't have to tell us the repercussions of lying to our mother," Kira replied, sighing a little. "But, the longer we can keep this from them, the better. They don't need this a few months into their relationship…"

* * *

Sophia smiled as she walked through the Citadel, unsure of how close she could stand to Garrus. The fact that she was human was drawing enough attention, and the fact that she was openly talking to a turian didn't help that fact. She briefly wondered how much attention a kiss would draw, but decided against it, despite how amusing it would be.

"What are you thinking about?" Garrus asked, indicating to her smile.

"Kissing you," she answered. "Specifically, how many heart attacks it would cause right now."

"I suspect the answer to that would be 'a lot'. We're supposed to be archenemies, remember?"

She shook her head, her grin widening. "I love that I'm badass enough to have an 'arch' anything."

"I think it's one of the reasons I was picked to be a Spectre. I'm pretty sure it's one of the criteria on their list."

"Oh yeah? Is having a cool, superhero name on there as well?" She joked back.

"'Superhero name'?"

"Yeah, I always liked superheros. Very sexy."

He smirked at that, her heated gaze locking with his. _That_ look was one that he was all too familiar with, and one that felt far too risqué for using in public, as he felt his plates loosen the tiniest bit. He groaned, shaking his head, trying to clear it. Ever since he'd gotten her back, he'd been like a teenager still in basic, his mind never more than two steps from the feel of her soft flesh beneath his hands as she gasped with need…

Which was exactly where he didn't need his mind to go. Not when he had a meeting with his bosses in a few, short hours.

"Is that why you called me 'Archangel' the other night?" He settled for humour. It had always been his go-to, and she knew that, smirking at him as she shrugged.

"Might be," she answered playfully as they approached Anderson's office. "You coming in?"

He shook his head. "No. There's something I need to do. I'll meet you back here before the meeting with the Council?" He had something that he'd been meaning to do for weeks now, although he hadn't had a good opportunity.

"Alright," she replied. "See you, amore mio." She quickly looked around before kissing him lightly on the side of the mandible, earning herself a happy rumbling noise emanating from his chest.

"See you, my love."

She entered Anderson's office grinning like a love-struck teenager. She loved it when he called her 'my love', despite the fact he had explained that it was actually a pretty poor translation of the word he was really using. Still, it never failed to make her feel as if her insides had become mush, all her organs replaced by her love for him.

"Sophia! I had heard rumours that you were alive, but…"

She was pulled from her gooey thoughts by Anderson walking over to her. "Anderson. I'm sorry, I couldn't exactly reply to your messages from my ship."

He frowned a little. "I'd heard rumours, about you working with Cerberus. Tom did warn me before he dropped off the grid, but… I guess I didn't really believe that they could bring you back."

"The time-traveller told you that they were resurrecting me from the dead and you _didn't_ believe him?" she joked.

"Alright, I see your point. So, the Collectors?"

"Heard about that, huh?"

He folded his arms, giving her a slightly worried look. "They've been attacking our colonies, although we can't figure out _why_. We're investigating, but we're not getting anywhere. The Council are being less than helpful and our own investigations are being obstructed by the damn diplomats trying to keep the peace."

"Sounds like things aren't any better…"

Anderson shrugged. "Sacrificing human lives for the Council won us some points - hell, Udina's even pushing for a human Spectre - but even the Council races themselves are fractured. Things are as good as they were ever going to be, Sophia. We're on good terms with the quarians and krogan, better than most of the other races, at any rate - something that you really paved the way for - but it doesn't exactly help us against the Collectors." He sighed, shaking his head. "These colonists thought their problems were over with the end of the War, but between this and the batarians getting upset over our expansion…"

Sophia nodded. "Things are never easy, are they?"

He shook his head once more. "No. But, you're alive, and that's something to be thankful for."

She sighed, determination setting in. She needed answers. Answers that only the Alliance could give. "Well, I guess Cerberus didn't want to lose their investment."

Anderson frowned at that. "What do you mean?"

"Did you know that Cerberus was originally an Alliance black ops program?"

"There were rumours but it's above my pay grade even now."

Sophia nodded, her attention drawn out to the view of the Presidium. "Anderson, what can you tell me about my parents? I know that you knew them."

He sighed, pausing for a few moments before answering. "Well, your mother and I were in basic together, but she quickly transferred into intelligence. Had a real flare for it. I often wouldn't see her for years at a time as she went on deep cover assignments. The last one lasted two years, and she returned married. I liked your father, he was a good man, but he was real cagey about his past. I had my suspicions, but Rosa told me to drop it."

Sophia nodded. "That pretty much matches up with what I know. But why did she stop going on deep cover missions?"

He shrugged. "I assumed that it was because she didn't want to leave her husband behind for years at a time. She started working in a different branch of intelligence, real top secret stuff that she couldn't talk about, but she left shortly after she found out she was pregnant. She was adamant that she would raise you herself, that she wouldn't drag you from ship to ship like her mother had. Your parents both started working civilian jobs after that. They only returned to the Alliance when Hackett made a personal request after the war had taken a bad turn."

Sophia sighed, nodding. It wasn't any more information than she already had, but it fit the story she'd already pieced together. "She left for me. That 'different branch of intelligence' was Cerberus. They were working on genetic engineering."

He nodded, understanding what she was saying. "I've… heard a little about their… later experiments. I didn't realise that you had been-"

"One of them? Yeah, well, no one seemed to think it relevant to tell _me_ anything. I'm getting sick of stuff blind-siding me…"

"I suspect you haven't had the worst of it yet…" he muttered, earning him a confused look, before Sophia simply shook her head.

"You're probably right… Hell…"

"So, anything else going on with you? Besides being brought back from the dead, I mean."

She gave a short bark of laughter at that. "Because, you know, that wouldn't be enough. Although, actually, there is something else. I've started seeing someone," she admitted.

"Who?"

She felt her entire face turn red with embarrassment, something that Anderson was sure he'd never seen before. "I, erm… it's Garrus. We picked him up a couple of months back."

"You love him, don't you?" Anderson observed.

"Yeah… how'd you know?"

"Because that was the exact look your mother had when she told me that she had married your father. You two are good together, Sophia. Really."

She gave him a questioning look at that. "I tell you that I'm in love with a turian, and that's your response?"

"Well, what did you expect?"

"You fought these guys for thirty years, Anderson. I guess… being told that I was insane, at the very least…"

He smiled at that. "Honestly? I've known that you two would end up together since you first started working together."

"Well… okay then."

* * *

Sophia had to hold back a sigh as she left Anderson's office, rubbing her eyes, tiredly. She had figured that the Alliance wouldn't have the maneuverability to help her, but... she may not _like_ the Alliance, given how responsible they were for what had been done to her, but when it came down to the Alliance or Cerberus, the Alliance won out every time.

"_Shepard_?!"

Sophia frowned, her gaze lifting only to be met by Ashley's as she walked over. "Ash?"

"I had... I mean, there have been rumours that you weren't _really_ dead, that people had seen you recently, but... I _saw_ you go down with the Normandy."

Sophia nodded. "I did. But... Cerberus managed to find my body and... rebuild me."

Her friend's eyes widened with surprise. "Wow, that's..."

"Yeah, tell me about it. I'm actually on a mission to stop the Collectors right now. I could use a hand." Sophia had never been a huge fan of Ashley's attitude toward aliens, but she had shown a willingness to adapt towards the end of their mission against Saren, and Sophia could take every friendly face she could get right now.

"I don't know, Shepard. I'd need to get leave first, but... I'll see. So, what are you doing right now?"

Sophia shrugged. "Waiting for Garrus. He's supposed to meet me here."

Ashley frowned. "You're working with Vakarian again? I thought you were working with Cerberus."

"Well, Cerberus pays the bills, but I get to chose the crew. So, Garrus, Kira and Tom are working with me, plus a few new faces."

Ashley nodded, her gaze moving away from Sophia. "Fair enough. I... I'll see what I can do about joining you, but I don't know that I'll be able to."

Sophia frowned. "You seemed a little more optimistic a second ago."

Ashley nodded, figuring that she at least owed Shepard the truth. "You're right. Shepard, I worked with aliens while I was stationed on the Normandy because I had to. I never told you this because I didn't want you to judge me as my other COs had, but my grandfather was General Williams. The same General Williams that surrendered to the turians at Shanxi. I stayed on the Normandy because, otherwise, I was stuck groundside. It was my chance to prove that I could handle space assignments. But I've done that now Shepard, and, without that motivation, I don't think I'd be able to work with turians again. I lost too many friends in the War, spent too long fighting. You may be able to just shut that off, but I can't."

Sophia sighed internally. She knew where Ashley was coming from, but it didn't make it any easier to hear. "I understand, Ashley. Take care."

"You too, Shepard."

* * *

Kira took a moment to savour her shop-bought coffee before she spotted her brother leaning over a railing that gave him a full view of the lower wards. She walked over to him, conscious of the stares that followed her. She had chosen to dress as inconspicuously as she could manage using her own clothes and what she had borrowed from Shepard. She now had bags filled with clothes that would cover up her arm, but right now she was stuck in an N7 hoodie with gloves lifted from her arctic gear. It made for an odd look that drew stares, made worse by the markings that she now refused to cover, and the short hair that she had decided to keep.

"Hey," she said to her brother, handing him a cup of coffee.

"Hey," he replied softly, his gaze not shifting in the least.

She frowned. "What are you thinking so intently about?"

He sighed, shaking his head. "Just... going over it again, you know? What happened, what I might have done..."

Kira gave him a sympathetic smile, shaking her head, knowing that he was talking about his reunion with Tali. "Maybe _she_ doesn't even know. She could have been like that for any number of reasons. Hell, maybe she was just PMSing."

He didn't respond to the joke. "I just... I miss her and I don't want to always feel like this."

"You won't. She promised that she'd join up once she was finished with her own thing."

"But that doesn't mean that she'll take me back..."

Kira sighed a little folding her arms. "Tom, she told you that she still loves you."

He nodded. "I know, but what if she was just saying it, I mean-"

Kira cut him off there. "Okay, _now_ you're just being paranoid. Look, I know that I didn't hang out with Tali much on the SR1, but she never struck me as someone who would say things that she didn't mean. Tom, if things were over between you, she would have just _said_."

He sighed, before nodding. "You're right. I'm just being stupid..."

"Tom, I'm worried," his sister admitted. "I've never seen you like this before. Certainly not over a woman."

He shrugged. "I... I've cared about women before, but... not like Tali." He sighed, his gaze dropping away. "You know, I was going to bond with her... before I found out that the Normandy had gone down, I mean..." he admitted softly.

"Tom, I am so, _so_ sorry. I should have... I should have been there. I should have been the one to go after Mom."

He shook his head, his subharmonics trilling with understanding. "But then who would have kept an eye on Dad? Kira, things turned out the way they did, we can't change that. It's just... if I didn't know better, I'd have said that Tali almost seemed _scared_. But what could have possibly happened for her to be _scared_ of me?"

Kira shrugged. "I don't know... but, Tom, maybe she was still hurting over you leaving."

"But we talked about it before I went, she understood."

Kira gave him a weak smile, shaking her head. "She may have understood on a rational level, but I can tell you first-hand that it doesn't stop your heart from aching on lonely nights. She was probably just shocked and unsure."

"Yeah... you're probably right. Spirits, I sound like-"

She frowned as he cut himself off. "You were going to say 'a woman', weren't you?"

Her brother shook his head. He had actually been about to say '_you_', but he had, thankfully, caught himself in time. "Not at all. I would _never_ make such a sexist comment."

"Asshole..."

He smiled at that, before frowning a little. "So, can I ask you something?"

She nodded. "Of course."

"You and Nihlus, what exactly went on there? I mean, I know that you guys were friends but... it seemed like there might have been something else going on."

She sighed, nodding. "He... he cared about me. He kept it to himself because he figured that I was still in love with Cai, but he eventually told me just after the battle with Sovereign."

He frowned, looking a little guilty. "Just before... before you left for Omega?"

She shook her head. "Tom, don't start. Your reaction was entirely understandable. _I_ was the one that freaked out and ran..."

"Did _you_ care about _him_?"

She nodded. "Yeah." Her voice was quiet, her features mirroring how his own had just been. "I just... I felt guilty for... it just felt too soon. But I... I kissed him, regardless. Let him know that I was ready to start moving on and that I wanted to do it with him but... I was right about it being too quick... at least, in some ways. I needed to figure some things out, get rid of some old issues, and I needed to do that alone. I did what was right for me at the time, I have no doubt about that, but I think I ruined what might have been something... I don't know..." She sighed, shaking her head. "Not that he ever _really_ cared about me to start with..."

Tom frowned. "What do you mean?"

Her gaze dropped at that. "One of the genetic modifications Cerberus made... it makes me more desirable to turians. My pheromones basically make me a siren for turians. Nihlus and I were close but... the romantic aspect of our relationship was just in the infant stages, and it was probably brought on by those modifications. I had Mordin disable them as soon as I found out."

Tom's frown deepened. "Wait, do we _both_ have the modifications?"

She shrugged. "You'd have to get Mordin to check. But, you shouldn't worry, quarian suits filter for all biological agents, including pheromones. Everything Tali feels for you is one hundred percent real."

Tom sighed, shaking his head. "We're really crap at this romance stuff, huh?"

She smiled at that. "Yeah. Weren't we alright at it once?"

"We used to have everything down. I was happy just fooling around. You and Cai would have had a bunch of kids, and I would have been the fun uncle that bought them cool toys and took them to theme parks and stuff."

Kira gave him a bittersweet smile at the nostalgia of the imagined future that they had lost. "Maybe we didn't lose that future," she told him, correcting her own thoughts. "Maybe we gained another one. You'll bond with Tali and have a bunch of kids, and I'll be the fun aunt."

"Or maybe you'll fix things with Nihlus."

She shook her head. "I doubt it. It's two years too late, Tom. He'll have moved on. Plus, he probably wouldn't like me like that without the modifications, anyway."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Things are going well for once, Tom. There's no point in dwelling on the few bumps in the road..."

* * *

Sophia was still a little miffed about what had happened with Ashley when Garrus showed up.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, his subharmonics trilling with concern.

She shook her head. "I ran into Ashley. She was... well, she was Ashley, you know?"

Garrus nodded. "Yeah, I remember."

She sighed before smiling at him. "Never mind. We'd better head up to the Council."

He nodded in agreement as they began to head in that direction. "So, how'd things go with Anderson?"

She shrugged. "About as well as I expected. The Alliance can't do shit, so they're going to let me continue on with Cerberus without hindering me, although I lack their official support. I tried to sell it like an undercover op but... I don't know. Something wasn't right. It felt like there were still one too many ties between Cerberus and the Alliance." She sighed, sick of all of the political bullshit, that she knew was only about to get worse. "So, what were you doing?"

He looked a little awkward at that. "I, erm... well, I got you something. I figure now's as good a time as any..."

She gave him a slightly questioning look as he pulled something from one of the compartments of his armour, her mind taking a moment to realise what it was.

It was a length of ribbon.

Just like she had used to wear in her hair except, instead of black, it was a deep blue colour.

"How did you know?" she asked softly.

"You look for it every morning. I figured it was important..."

She nodded, taking it in her hands before tying it around the bobble that was already in place. "Thank you, amore mio. It's perfect. And I love the colour."

He would have looked sheepish at that, if he hadn't been so transfixed by the look of blue on her. He had chosen that one specifically because of the colour, but he hadn't realised just how profound the effect on him would have been. The brief wonder of what that colour would look like painted across her cheeks catching him off guard.

"What?" she asked, blushing a little.

He shook his head. "Just... you truly are beautiful," he told her softly.

Her blush turned a shade darker at that. "Thank you, Garrus. This means a lot to me."

"Soph..." he started, but had no idea how to articulate any of the feelings welling inside of him, of hope, happiness, belonging and _home_. Of _love_. "I love you," he settled for.

She smiled sheepishly at him, struggling to articulate her own, identical swirl of emotions. Eventually settling for, "I love you too." But, somehow, it didn't feel enough.

So, for once, she didn't look around before kissing him, instead pulling him around a corner so that no one could see her press her body to his armour, her lips pressed passionately against his mouth plates as she wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers brushing up against the sensitive spot beneath his fringe, really testing his ability to keep his plates _closed_.

"Sorry," she breathed as she pulled away, "I just… it's not easy to walk around here and pretend…"

He nodded, knowing exactly what she meant. "Yeah. Same."

She laughed a little, shaking her head. "We're not being very professional, are we?" she asked, sheepishly.

Garrus smiled at that. "No. But I'm finding it really hard to find a reason to care."

She shivered a little at the growling undertones to his voice, but she shook her head, pulling away. "Come on, we have to go and be responsible…"

She grinned at him as they jogged up to the council chambers, not wanting to be late, however the grin faded as they finally entered, feeling all eyes on her. She struggled to keep her biotics in check as their scrutinizing gaze put her on edge, feeling more than a little out of place.

"Spectre Vakarian," the asari councillor greeted, "you're supposed to be on assignment."

He nodded. "I still am. My assignment was to keep an eye on Kira and report any troubling behaviour. I spent two years with her on Omega-"

The turian councillor interrupted him. "Yes, we saw the reports. 'Valkyrie and Archangel'. Do you know how bad this will look if anyone finds out your true identity?"

"Councillor, Archangel is dead. No one has any reason to suspect otherwise."

It was the salarian councillor that spoke up next. "Yes, a particularly troubling situation. How did you escape?"

"Well, that was when Commander Shepard showed up."

"Yes," the asari councillor said, turning her attention to Sophia, "I was wondering when she would come into things."

"Councillors," Sophia greeted, as pleasantly as she could manage. "Tom informed me that two friends were in trouble, so I went to help. Afterwards, I asked if they wanted to join me in helping to stop the Collectors."

Garrus nodded at her account. "Kira accepted her offer so, as per my assignment, I did as well."

The councillors all looked as if they had a few choice words for Garrus, but no real argument.

Kira, Tom and Shepard working together was a potentially catastrophic situation for the Council, but they didn't have any jurisdiction over them. Their best bet was to have an agent keep an eye on them.

Which meant that Garrus would stay where he was.

The asari councillor was the first one calm enough to tell him so. "Alright. Clearly, circumstances have changed, and I think we would all be happier if you were keeping an eye on the situation. However, we cannot aid you. The Council cannot be seen to be aiding a human terrorist group."

Garrus nodded. "Of course."

"And Vakarian?" The turian councillor spoke up before they left. "Be sure to keep your behaviour professional. We can't have Spectres that make questionable choices."

Garrus had to hold back a growl at the thinly-veiled jab at his relationship with Sophia, the turian councillor's eyes fixed on the blue ribbon in her hair. "I am more than capable of keeping my personal life from my work, sir," he replied before leaving.

He sighed, before shaking his head. "Well, at least we still get to work together."

Sophia just nodded, her gaze far from his own.

"Soph?" He asked, frowning a little at her silence.

"Garrus… maybe you shouldn't. I can handle this without you."

His frown deepened as he stepped in front of her, drawing her conflicted gaze. "Why? Do you not want me on the Normandy with you?" That thought was enough to chill his blood, but the change in attitude was so sudden, he figured there _had_ to be another explanation.

She shook her head. "Of course I do, Garrus. I just… the Council made it clear that… Garrus, I don't want you being with me to cost you anything. Certainly not your career. I mean, you've wanted to be a Spectre since you were a kid. I don't want to be the reason that you lose that."

He let his subharmonics trill with reassurance, pressing his forehead to hers, not caring who saw. "Soph, I like my job, but I can live without it. _You_, on the other hand… I spent two years learning what it's like to live without you. I can safely say that having you back, being with you, is worth any price. I can live without being a Spectre, but I can't live without you in my life."

Her heart swelled at his words. She knew that she felt that way about him, and she knew that he loved her, but to hear him say it like that, to echo the exact feelings she had been trying to articulate herself, it confirmed beyond a doubt that this turian had very much stolen her heart.

However, one thought refused to leave. "But what about your family? Garrus, there's no way they're going to approve of you being with a human."

"Soph, I meant what I said when we were first together; you are worth it. Nothing will ever change that."

"Garrus, I..." She smiled at her inability to articulate the overwhelming feelings crashing through her. "I don't see what anyone can see in anyone else but you," she told him, hoping that the line from the old song, that had stuck with her since childhood, did a good enough job of showing him just how lost she'd be without him.

* * *

Nihlus sighed as he made his way across the catwalks of the Citadel, hoping to avoid the crowds. Garrus had just messaged to tell him that he was back on the Citadel. Which meant that Kira was there as well.

He spared a glance down to his omni-tool, thinking back to the messages that gone unanswered. A part of him wanted to know what had happened, why she had left so suddenly without so much as a goodbye, but he knew that he probably wouldn't like the answer.

There was no point in dwelling on 'might-have-been's. Things turned out as they had. There was no changing the past.

He was pulled from his thoughts as he realised that he had been so distracted that he had walked straight into someone.

"Sorry," a voice replied as his gaze swept the area, only to find it empty.

The voice was familiar, but it was the scent that accompanied it that had every molecule in his body reacting. It was slightly different, but similar enough for him to identify the invisible woman.

_Kira_.

She wasn't there. She couldn't be. His mind was playing tricks on him, grabbing onto the fleeting thoughts of the woman he had once thought he might love.

Kira stood frozen in place beneath her cloak.

She almost laughed at how ridiculous the situation was, as if he had been plucked straight from her thoughts after her conversation with Tom.

He seemed uncertain, his gaze sweeping across the catwalk. "Kira?" he asked quietly.

She was entirely caught off guard by how every cell in her body seemed to react to him saying her name, as if her blood were metal and he, a giant magnet. Before she realised what she was doing, her hand had moved to her clocking device, deactivating it.

She simply stood for a few moments, the two of them more than a little surprised by the appearance of the other. "Hey," she finally replied.

"I, erm… I haven't heard from you," he said, unsure of what else to say.

_You didn't even say goodbye_?

_I loved you_?

_Not one message for two years_?

_I never stopped thinking of you_?

No, none of them were right.

Her gaze dropped away, her arms tightly folded across each other. What was she supposed to say?

_I've always hated goodbyes_?

_I think I may have fallen for you_?

_How could I just message you after running away like that_?

_I never stopped thinking of you_?

No, none of them were appropriate.

"I… I needed time. After what happened."

He frowned a little. "Kira… I knew that you were scared but… I just thought that, if things went badly, well, that… I didn't think that you would have gone off alone. And maybe a heads up might have been nice. Just something to know that you were okay."

_I thought that you would have run to me, not to Omega…_

They both knew what he had meant. Kira's gaze darkened as she tried to figure out how to explain it. "Nihlus, I'm not one for letting people get close. Even those I really care about. If I have a problem, I'd rather work it out on my own. Hell, after what happened, I wouldn't have even run to Caius if I could. I… I needed to work some things out, but I needed to be alone."

He shook his head. He understood to a degree, but it did nothing to lessen the memories of the sleepless nights spent wondering if she was even still alive. "I cared about you."

She seemed to flinch away from that. "No, Nihlus, you didn't."

He frowned. "Kira, you can't tell me what I did and didn't feel-"

"No," her gaze finally locked with his, the pain behind her eyes evident, "you just thought you did. Nihlus… one of my genetic modifications is increased desirability, especially where turians are concerned. You never _cared_ about me, my stupid pheromones just tricked you into thinking that you did. I've disabled them now. You shouldn't feel anything for me now…"

_Except he did._

_Spirits_, he was such a masochist. Kira had done nothing to show that she returned his feelings, doing nothing but hurt him.

_Why couldn't I have fallen for a nice, normal turian girl?_ he wondered, except he knew the answer. He would have been bored in less than five minutes. Nihlus had always been a fan of adventure, of keeping things interesting. He was a restless soul, unable to stop moving, and Kira was the one woman who seemed to get that. Who seemed to get _him_. He'd found a kindred spirit in her, and he had been around the galaxy long enough to know just how rare that was.

But he wasn't going to hurt himself like that again. She obviously didn't feel the same way about him.

He sighed, shaking his head. "I guess you're right."

Kira felt her heart slice open at the simple statement. It was what she had expected. Especially after what she had done. _So then why did it hurt so much?_

She nodded, squashing her feelings down, packaging them away to be dealt with later. "Okay then. Friends?"

"Yeah. Friends." They lapsed into an awkward silence at that, until he spoke up once more. "So… why'd you leave Omega?"

She shrugged. "Tom brought Shepard back. We're on a mission to stop the Collectors now."

"Do you need an extra body?"

Her heart screamed '_yes_', but she shook her head. "No. Nihlus, you… _distract_ me. I missed things back on the SR1, but I can't afford to now. Could you… avoid my parents while we're docked here? If they see you, they'll ask you to join, and… I don't want that."

He nodded. "Yeah. I… understand."

They lapsed into silence once more, before they were interrupted by the sound of Kira's omni-tool beeping. "That's Tom. I'd better go."

"Yeah. See you?"

She nodded, distractedly. "Yeah…"

* * *

"Commander Shepard. Enter the password and receive a free gift."

Garrus gave Sophia a questioning look, but she simply shrugged at the strange advert.

"Looks like our newest recruit has a flare for the dramatic," she commented before turning to the display. "Silence is golden."

"Good to finally meet you, Commander Shepard. Kasumi Goto. I've been a fan since, well, since I heard about your exploits against the devilishly handsome turian next to you. By the way, you may want to use a little more discretion somewhere with so many security cameras..."

"I'll keep that in mind," Sophia replied, trying not to blush. "So, am I actually going to see you in person?"

"Fair enough," she heard a voice from behind her as the advert shut itself down. "You do look pretty silly talking to an advertisement."

"So, I assume you've been briefed?"

Kasumi nodded. "Yes. I have some other matters to discuss regarding a job that I need doing, but it can wait."

Sophia sighed, wondering what else Cerberus hadn't told her. "Alright then, see you on the ship."

Kasumi nodded, about to leave, when she, instead, stopped, frowned a little. "You know, I'm sure I saw someone who looked exactly like you before…"

"Did she have short hair and purple face paint?" Sophia asked.

"Yeah."

"That's Kira. She's actually a member of the crew."

"A sister?"

Sophia shook her head. "A long story."

"Well, she seemed to be having a particularly interesting conversation with a white-painted turian."

"Nihlus?" Garrus asked.

"I think that was it. Oh look, there he is. Anyway, see you, Shep." The thief disappeared at that, leaving Shepard and Garrus to frown over to where Nihlus was.

"Hey, Nihlus!" Sophia called, causing the turian to stop in place.

He groaned a little as they approached, his promise to Kira to stay away from their mission at the forefront of his mind. "Hey, Shepard. Garrus."

"Been a while. What have you been up to?" Shepard asked.

He shrugged. "Spectre stuff."

"Oh, come on! I don't get anything better than 'Spectre stuff'?"

He shook his head. "Sorry. Most of it is highly classified."

She sighed. "_Fine_. You free right now? There's a Collector Base that needs blowing sky high."

"I'm sorry, Shepard, I can't."

"It's Sophia, Nihlus, we went over this two years ago. And, why not?"

He shook his head. "I… I just can't."

"Does this have anything to do with your talk with Kira?"

He sighed. "Sophia, _please_. I don't want to talk about it."

She nodded in understanding. "Okay, then. I'm sorry I pushed. But, if you can't join us, can you at least help out with something?"

He frowned. "With what?"

"I… I think the Alliance and Cerberus might be… in cahoots, to some degree or another. At the very least, I need as much dirt on the Illusive Man as possible. Think you can help?"

He nodded, grinning. "Yeah, I think I can manage that. And, I'm sorry that I can't join you in your fight."

"It's fine, Nihlus. Just… whatever happened between you and Kira, it's been bothering her."

Garrus nodded in agreement. "I didn't tell you much when we were on Omega because she seemed like she needed the time, but I know that she missed you."

"It's fine. I understand why you didn't tell me more," Nihlus told him. "In fact, I probably understand more than you do right now… Anyway, I'd better go."

Shepard nodded. "See you." As soon as he was out of earshot, she frowned, turning to Garrus. "What do you think he meant by that?"

Garrus shrugged. "It's Nihlus. I don't understand most of his jokes."

"Yeah… Anyway, let's get back to the Normandy. It might be a while before everyone else gets back…"

He didn't miss the suggestion underlying her voice, finally losing the battle to keep his arousal in check.

* * *

**AN - Additional: Told you it would be a long one...**


	21. Chapter 21

**AN: Fast upload, because of the short-ish chapter. This took more time than it should have, but I blame the Citadel DLC entirely.**

**But, _damn, _that's some good DLC. Also, some times when they release a DLC, at first you're all happy because it's awesome, but then you realise that they've just messed up your entire story plan. This time was like the exact opposite.**

**(Although, you know you have social anxiety issues when a _virtual_ party has you nervous... ^^)**

**So, thanks go out to Bioware for the awesome ride! (Despite the hiccups along the way *cough*redbluegreen*cough*...)**

**Also, I think maybe some of my plot hints are _too_ subtle. Or maybe they just rely on you having an A-level in biology or something...**

**Anyway, I'm rambling, so, without further ado...**

**Thanks go out to everyone who reads, with double-thanks to all of you that have taken the time to follow and favourite. Special, triple, awesome thanks go out to barbex, Zuguzita, Zombie Pixel, 1054SS325MP, DeltaAgent, shantie1984 and Laufeyson'sWife for the reviews!**

**You guys are awesome, and the response that the last chapter generated was beyond awesome. So, virtual hugs all-round!**

**Okay, on with the chapter!**

**(Warning: smut ahead. Well, not directly ahead. In the middle of the chapter. But still, fair warning, and all...)**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 21 - Well, Then That Must Make Me the Goddess of Sanity Because I Find This Ridiculous**

_Sophia recognised the strange dream world immediately, although she didn't recognise the location or all of the faces. They appeared to be in some kind of bar, all sitting in a large booth. Sophia was sitting with a beer in front of her, next to Garrus, who had his hand over hers._

_To say that the atmosphere was morose would be an understatement._

"_So, we haven't seen you for years, Soph," Ash spoke up, breaking the silence._

_Sophia found herself nodding. "Yeah... it's just hard with the kids, you know?"_

_Sophia recognised one of the engineers from the Cerberus crew - Gabby - as she nodded in agreement. "Yeah, tell me about it." She shared a smile with the other engineer - Ken - at that. "How old are your two now?"_

_Sophia had learnt months ago to stop questioning the events of these dreams. She wouldn't remember most of it when she woke up, anyway. So, she was sitting in a bar, all sad, and she and_

_Garrus had two kids. Okay, then. "Five. Although they look about eight, they're so tall..."_

"_It's sad that it takes something like this for us all to see each other..." Ashley commented, bringing the mood down once again as Sophia figured everyone was feeling guilty for not seeing the others more._

"_Sparks was always trying to get us to meet up," a large slab of meat commented. Sophia definitely didn't recognise him, but figured that he was probably a soldier._

_Garrus nodded, sighing. "We were all just so busy, her included..."_

_Sophia gave a sad smile, raising her drink. "To Tali. The best damn friend you could ask for. Keelah_

_Se'lai!"_

"_Keelah Se'lai!"_

* * *

Sophia awoke, finding Garrus gently stroking her arm in a comforting way, his subharmonics making a lower tone that she had learnt meant worry, although it was combined with the higher chirps of reassurance.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

She nodded, frowning a little as she sat up, only to find her cheeks wet with tears. "I... I was dreaming again..."

"What was it about this time?"

She shook her head. "I can't really remember. It was... I think it was a..." She sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know..."

"You haven't asked Mordin about it yet?"

"No, I keep on forgetting... I promise that I'll do it before we arrive at Horizon."

"Any idea who we'll take?"

Sophia shrugged. "I thought it might be a good place to try out our new krogan." Garrus growled a little, almost unnoticeably at that. Sophia raised an eyebrow in response. "What? What is it?"

"Nothing, just... I know that you and Wrex were friends, and, honestly, I trust him, but any other krogan? Especially one that's just been… woken up. I just don't think we need more people we don't trust."

She gave him a wry smile at that. "_Right_. Because, you know, the people who we _do _trust are just lining up for this..."

"Soph, Ashley never liked working with turians, that's just expected after so many years of war."

She nodded, sighing. "It's not just Ashley..."

"Nihlus?"

She nodded. "I just... I don't know. Kira seems down. She's spending all of her time with Mordin on that secret project of theirs. But, it's not just him..."

"Tali, too?"

She sighed. "Yeah. Tom's as bad as his sister for moping. I just can't... do you ever think our private lives affect our work?"

He lowered his forehead to hers at that. "Of course they do. But, I've seen you when you're fighting _for_ something, Soph, and it's a thousand times more effective than when you're not. You get your strength from the people around you. I'm not going to say that it wouldn't be a distraction to everyone – hell, Kira is the worst for not being able separate her personal life from her job – but it works for you."

"Yeah… I guess it does." She smiled at him before moving to get dressed. "So, you don't want us to take Grunt out for the first time on an important mission? Fair enough. You, me, Kira and Tom it is."

Garrus frowned at that. "When did he get a name?"

"When I woke him up last night…" She kept her back turned, knowing that he would be furious with her. He had been all for blasting the krogan out of the airlock before he had a chance to hurt anyone.

She shivered a little as she heard his growl from across the room. "You went without backup, didn't you?"

"Maybe…"

She found herself caught off guard as he managed to sneak up on her, but he simply sighed, wrapping his arms around her. "Your disregard for your own wellbeing is staggering at times, Soph."

"I can handle myself, Garrus. Plus, it turned out fine."

"That doesn't mean that I don't worry about you, Soph," he reminded her softly.

"Garrus, my job is always going to be putting me in dangerous situations."

"I understand that, Soph, I really do. I just don't want to lose you."

"I don't want to lose you, either," she admitted, not wanting to acknowledge just how true her words were.

* * *

Sophia wasn't surprised to see Kira as she walked into the lab. She and Mordin had been working on some kind of project ever since they had come on board. She had asked Mordin about it a few weeks ago, but he had just started rambling in a way that had left her head pounding, so she left them to it, simply hoping that they didn't blow up her ship.

"Hey, Mordin. Got a minute?" she asked as she approached.

"Of course. What do you need?"

Sophia's gaze drifted to Kira, but she figured that they could probably both help her. "Well, Kira, do you remember what I told you about that dream before Ilos?"

Kira frowned. "The one about Garrus?"

Sophia blushed at that. "Well, I was actually referring to the fact that in it Garrus was talking about Sidonis and working at C-Sec…"

Kira shrugged dismissively. "It was probably nothing…"

"Kira, it keeps happening. I don't always remember all of the details, but… they're scarily accurate at times. Of things that haven't happened yet or things I couldn't possibly know. But then, some aspects, like Garrus working at C-Sec, are just plain wrong…"

Kira looked away at that as Mordin spoke up. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, it's… it's almost as if I'm trapped in my own body. I do and say things as if I'm just playing a part, but I have no control."

"As if reliving a memory?" Kira asked.

Sophia nodded. "Yeah."

Kira sighed, shaking her head. "It sounds like they're memories from my- from the Shepard in my timeline. It would certainly explain the C-Sec thing…"

"But don't remember any other details?" Mordin asked. Sophia didn't miss the way Kira tensed a little, but she had no idea why, so ignored it.

"Not really. I… sometimes remember, but don't realise, you know? I'll start saying something but it slips away before I can finish…"

"Has anyone else mentioned anything similar?" Kira asked, clearly disconcerted by what she was being told.

"Your fa-" Sophia cut herself off, frowning. "See, it happened again! I have no idea what I was about to say…"

Mordin and Kira exchanged a worried glance, before Kira spoke up. "Has Garrus been having the dreams too?"

Sophia nodded. "Yeah, that was what I was trying to say. We both have, but, since turians don't usually dream, he remembers even less than I do."

Kira sighed, shrugging. "I don't know what we can do about them."

Sophia nodded. "I figured. I just wanted to know what they were. I guess it makes sense that they're memories from your timeline…"

"Alright, well, if you need anything else, I'll be here," Kira told her, returning to her work.

Sophia sighed, moving over to her. "Kira, I'm worried."

Kira frowned at that, but didn't look up. "Why?"

"Well, you've barely left the lab since the Citadel."

"I'm busy."

Sophia sighed, folding her arms. "I know, but I feel like you're just burying yourself in your work. Kira, what happened on the Citadel?"

"I have no idea what you mean…"

"I mean with Nihlus. I ran into him as we were leaving, but he said that he couldn't join us."

Kira sighed, finally looking up. "Remember on the SR1, when I kept on making mistakes?"

"Kira, you were managing."

"No, I was distracted. It's a miracle that my lack of focus didn't have more disastrous consequences. But, Shepard, things are worse now. I can't afford distraction, and that's all Nihlus would ever be."

"Kira, I'd hardly call someone you care about a 'distraction'…"

"They are if they don't return your feelings." Kira sighed, looking a little defeated. "Unrequited love is a bitch at the best of times. I just can't deal with it right now. One fully-functioning genius assassin with foreknowledge of your mission is more valuable than a Spectre, hindered by a stupid girl making mistakes, right?"

"That's awfully cocky of you."

"Is my assessment wrong?"

Sophia sighed, wishing that she had another answer, but it was true that having Kira working to full capacity was almost invaluable. "No, I guess not. I just…"

"Hate thinking with your head and not your heart?"

"Yeah."

Kira just gave a sad shrug. "But sometimes we have to… Life just sucks like that."

Sophia smiled a little at that, nodding. "Indeed it does. Well, we should be arriving at Horizon soon. I want you and your brother suited up in an hour, okay?"

Kira nodded as Sophia left the room. As soon as the door shut behind her, the younger woman groaned, holding her head in her hands.

"Suspect she almost said 'your father'," Mordin told her, confirming her suspicions.

She nodded as she looked up at him. "I don't really want to think about what this does to my estimates of how long we have until they figure it out…"

"What were original numbers?"

"The probability of them still not knowing hits 0.5 about three months from now…"

"And now?"

Kira paused, running through the numbers. "A rough estimate puts it at just one month from now… Dammit…"

"Sophia is correct. You should take a break."

"No, I need this. I need the closure, Mordin…"

"Need it to move on with Nihlus?"

She shook her head. "It's not even that. I mean, Nihlus made it clear where he stood on our relationship. I just need to close that chapter of my life once and for all."

Mordin sighed, shaking his head. "Can't see a good outcome for you."

Kira just nodded. "Yeah, I know," she replied in a small voice, "but, for once, this isn't about what's easiest for me. I _have_ to do this."

"Could deal with seeing him having moved on?"

Kira nodded once more, although her eye had begun to sting with unshed tears. "Yeah. I mean, hell, I always knew that he deserved better than me. He wanted to settle down and start a family, and I signed away my right to quit my job when I let them implant me with all this tech. Not that _we_ could have done that anyway…"

The silence that accompanied her statement was almost deafening. Mordin was _never_ silent. He _always_ had _something_ to say. So, for him to be quiet for so long…

"You okay, Mordin?"

He nodded. "Just wondering if you're purposefully ignoring information you've been given, or if you're as oblivious as your mother."

Kira frowned for a second, before remembering what he had told Shepard when they had gone to rescue him. She had cut him off before he could explain further, not wanting to face the implications of what he had been saying. "I'm purposefully ignoring it."

"Kira, you are technically-"

"See, that's the word that's bothering me. 'Technically'. So, I'm gonna tell you what I told Tom when he was asking about it; I'm human, he's turian. They are the dominant phenotypes so they're what I'm sticking with."

"Except when you get plague…"

Kira groaned, shaking her head. "I've repaired the nanobot protocols. I shouldn't get sick again."

"Not what I was getting at-"

"Mordin?"

"Yes?"

"Just shut it…"

* * *

"I think I have bits of Collector in my hair…" Sophia groaned as she finished blasting the last Collector to pieces. "Any sign of Tom and Kira?" she asked Garrus as she ran over to his side.

"No. What did they say they were doing, again?"

Sophia shrugged. "I don't know. I just decided to let them get on with it… EDI, how is that canon coming along?"

"Almost there, Shepard."

"Well, hurry it up!"

"Soph, we've got incoming," Garrus told her as a huge, laser-wielding Collector appeared.

"Oh, you have got to be shitting me…" Sophia groaned as she immediately leapt out of cover, charging it head-on with her biotics.

Garrus let loose an almost feral growl at her insistence on putting herself in the most ridiculously dangerous situations, firing his rifle as quickly as he could manage, aiming for the eye/light things.

As soon as it exploded into tiny fragments, Garrus ran over to Sophia. She was a little battered and bruised, but her cybernetics had closed up the worst wounds.

"_Spirits_, Soph, what in the hell made you think that was a good idea?!"

She shrugged. "Worked, didn't it?" He growled but she answered his concern with a kiss, catching him off-guard. "I'm fine, amore mio. I thought we agreed that you wouldn't worry so much."

"You don't exactly make it easy," he told her, softly, but they were interrupted by a shout.

"_Shepard?!_"

Garrus couldn't help but notice how Sophia took a deep breath, before turning towards Kaidan as he approached them. "Hey, Kaidan."

"Shepard, how are you- I mean, I _saw_ the Normandy go down."

She nodded, trying not to flinch at the accusation in his tone. "I know. I… was recovered."

"But you didn't tell anyone where you were for _two years_?!"

Her gaze dropped as she found herself unsure of exactly how to answer him. She hadn't expected this level of anger from Kaidan. "I-"

He interrupted her. "I loved you, Shepard! I can't believe that you would let me think that you were dead! But, then I'd never believe that you would turn traitor either…"

Her eyebrows shot up at that. She knew that Kaidan had a bad habit of deluding himself when it came to their relationship, but this was ridiculous. Plus, she'd love to know how she was a 'traitor'. "Kaidan-"

"Or maybe you just told _some_ people…" he interrupted once more, his tone bitter as he glared at Garrus.

Sophia was about to tell Kaidan exactly where he could shove his attitude, when Kira appeared, sitting on the edge of the roof of the building they were standing next to. "Yes, Kaidan, that's exactly it. She told everyone but you because you're not cool enough to hang out with us anymore."

"Yeah," Tom agreed as he rounded the corner, "we've got a new club-house and everything, but you're not popular enough to play with us."

"You're not even cool enough to talk with us," Kira continued.

"Yeah, so get lost," Tom agreed.

Sophia found herself putting all of her effort into not laughing at the bewildered look on Kaidan's face as he turned to her and Garrus. She simply shrugged. "You heard them, Kaidan. I guess you're not wanted on my crew…"

"I'll be giving the Alliance a full report of everything that happened."

Kira nodded. "Go ahead. And while you're at it, you can tell them how we saved most of the colonists while you were PMSing like a little bitch." Kaidan simply walked away at that. "Asshole," Kira muttered once he was out of earshot, jumping down from her perch.

"Okay, that was a little harsh," Shepard told Kira, folding her arms.

Kira simply shrugged. "He called you a traitor."

Tom nodded. "He was being harsh towards you. We only reciprocated."

"I would have said a lot worse, if they hadn't beat me to it," Garrus admitted.

Sophia rolled her eyes. "Setting a brilliant example there, _Spectre_ Vakarian. Regardless, I just wish that your comment about saving most of the colonists wasn't an exaggeration…"

"It wasn't," Tom answered.

Kira nodded. "Yeah, while you guys were keeping them busy, Tom and I made sure that they didn't load up any more colonists. We couldn't get back the ones who had been taken deep into the ship, but the ones being loaded up when we arrived were all saved."

Tom had to stifle a laugh as he shook his head. "Spirits, Kira was brilliant. This Collector was loading them up, and she was cloaked so, when he turned around, she unloaded them again. The look of confusion on his face was priceless…"

"I recorded it on my visor. If we upload it to the extranet, we'd be e-famous."

Sophia rolled her eyes at that. "No uploading mission recordings!"

* * *

As soon as they got back to the Normandy, Garrus headed off to the main battery. Not unusual behaviour for him, sure, but Soph couldn't help but notice how quiet he was being as they returned to the ship. Kira and Tom spent the ride chatting away, making Sophia glad that they were talking once more, but Garrus had just sat there, seemingly lost in thought.

So, she followed him to the main battery, wondering what was wrong.

"Can this wait for a bit? I'm in the middle of some calibrations," he told her as the door closed behind her.

She frowned at the brush-off, more than a little concerned. "Garrus, what's wrong? Come on, talk to me."

He sighed, shaking his head, not lifting his gaze from the console in front of him. "It's nothing…"

Her frown only deepened at that. "Come on, amore mio. If you're not going to stick to our usual post-mission routine, you have to tell me why…"

He frowned, finally turning to face her. "Our 'usual' routine?"

She nodded. "Yeah, you know: you worry about me putting myself in danger, but you refuse to say anything in order to maintain a professional attitude, I notice anyway, and then we have sex in inappropriate places until you calm down again. Doesn't exactly help to maintain a professional attitude, but it's a hell of a lot of fun…"

He stared at her, a little dumbfounded. It was true that watching her put herself in danger like that caused him stress that he had to work off somehow, but he hadn't realised that her response had been a calculated one. It was fairly normal procedure for turian mates to use sex to work off any stress caused by their protective-instincts when they worked together in the military, but he was sure that it was different for humans, especially since they frowned on fraternization.

Sophia stepped closer to him to lean on the console, seemingly sensing his unasked questions. "Kira gave me a crash-course in turian relationships just after we picked you two up," she explained, "but this is different. So, you'll have to tell me what's wrong…"

He sighed, looking away from her once more as he leant on the console next to her. "Soph, maybe you were right. Back on the Citadel, I mean. Maybe I shouldn't be here."

Her heart froze at his words, trying to figure out what had prompted the change of heart. "Why?" She couldn't give the icy feeling, creeping up through her gut, a better voice than that.

"Soph, you saw how Kaidan reacted to seeing us together. He was your friend for ten years and that was his reaction. I just… I don't want our relationship to-"

"To cost me anything," she finished for him, repeating the words she had told him on the Citadel. She shook her head, placing her hand on his arm, so that her gaze locked with his. "Garrus, I don't care what others think. I love you, with all my heart. You are worth everything to me. Kaidan was simply jealous of that. He was my friend once, but he decided that he wasn't happy with friendship. He wanted a romantic relationship, and wouldn't settle for anything else. He ended our friendship a long time ago."

"Soph, others will still-"

She cut him off. "Do you care?"

He frowned, shaking his head. "Of course not, I told you that. I just don't want you to regret this. _Us_. I am fully aware that you could have something closer to home if you wanted-"

"But I don't want that, amore mio. I want you. More than anything else." She punctuated her point with a kiss, hoping to show him just how sure she was of their relationship. "Garrus, if I didn't want this, I wouldn't be here. But… is that what you want? Something 'closer to home'?"

He shook his head, his hands moving to her sides, stroking her skin gently, leaving trails of goosebumps. "Never. Soph, you are my everything. My amvimae."

Sophia frowned a little at that. "I think my translator just glitched out on me."

He nodded. "I got sick of it translating wrong. Well, not wrong, just not accurate. There's not really a good translation…"

"Not even a close approximation?"

He paused for a moment before replying. "Maybe 'love of my life'. It's… rare to find something like we have. So, turians don't use this term lightly. It's how I know Tom is so serious about Tali."

"He uses it when talking about her?"

Garrus nodded. "Yeah. And I use it when talking about you…"

"Garrus, I-"

Before she could respond further, he had moved his head down to her neck, his tongue charting a loving trail across the sensitive skin, sending shivers of pleasure through her as she brought her hands up to the clasps of his armour, gently removing it, piece by piece, until he was only in his undersuit from the waist up. She waited until he had pulled his boots off, yanking her shirt over her head as he did so, before returning to slowly removing the rest of his armour.

As soon as it was all discarded, his hands travelled down, softly tracing her curves as he went, before reaching her arse. Once there, he pulled her up with strength that never failed to surprise her. She had never thought of herself as a small woman – slender, maybe, but never _small_ – but Garrus made her feel downright dainty as he almost effortlessly pulled her up, onto the edge of the console, swiftly locking it down before any damage was caused.

She bit back a moan as his hands travelled back upwards, towards her breasts, tracing her nipples through the fabric of her bra. She moved as quickly as she could to undo her bra, craving the feel of his warm, rough skin on hers once more.

As soon as the fabric moved away, he was on her, one hand stroking her breast as the other moved down to her pants, undoing them with practiced ease as she brought one hand to help him, the other unzipping his own undersuit, teasing his growing length through the fabric as she went. She loved the way his subharmonics growled with lust as he pressed himself closer to her, increasing her own arousal as the cold air of the battery finally met her wet folds, her clothing now all completely discarded.

"_Ga-arrus_," she moaned as his one of his thick fingers moved down to her clit, circling it slowly, careful to no more than tease her, making her breath grow shallow, "I need you to fuck me."

She brought her lips to his neck, nipping at the sensitive skin, gently at first, but getting progressively harder as her arousal intensified, leaving her feeling almost overcome with the need to be filled by his now fully-erect cock.

He _definitely_ seemed to like her biting, rapidly moving from teasing her with his fingers to swiftly impale her with his length, earning a cry from her swollen lips as she grabbed at his cowl to steady herself, the growl emanating from his chest reverberating through her as he began to pump in and out of her, his groinal plating hitting her clit on every stroke as he angled his cock to hit her sweet-spot, bringing her closer and closer to the edge with every passing second.

"_Harder_," she moaned into his neck, biting down just a little harder, ripping a roar from his throat as he thrust with as much force as he could muster as he came inside of her, pushing her straight over the edge, leaving her crying his name as pleasure shot through her.

She leant into him as she waited for her head to stop spinning in the remnants of orgasm. "God, Garrus, that was..."

He growled a little in agreement. "Damn, Soph..." He paused for a moment before continuing on. "But you probably shouldn't bite like that... it makes it damn-near impossible to resist the urge to mark you..."

She pulled away a little, realising why her teasing on his neck had worked Garrus up so. "I'm sorry, I completely forgot..."

He pressed his forehead to hers, reassuringly. "Soph, it's fine," he told her, smiling.

"So, ready for round two?"

* * *

Tom groaned as he turned over, his clock confirming that it was still the middle of the night cycle. He hadn't slept properly in weeks, only getting a decent night when he was so tired that he ended up passing out.

Time trying to sleep was simply time for his brain to run over everything that he had ever said or done, trying to figure out what had happened between him and Tali. It made no sense as far as he was concerned, but there wasn't much that he could do until he could talk to her in person.

It made for a lot of sleepless nights.

He frowned as his door opened. No one entered his quarters, and he doubted anyone would without knocking. The light being let in by the door quickly vanished, leaving him unsure of whom exactly the intruder was as they, wrapped in a heavy blanket, sat cross-legged at the end of his bed.

"You asleep?"

He rolled his eyes at the familiar sound of his sister's voice. "No. You?" He didn't catch the error in his words until he had already spoken them. He was just too tired.

"Can't."

"Yeah, me neither."

"Thinking about Tali?"

"Yeah… I can't not."

"Same. I just keep wondering…"

"About Caius or Nihlus?"

She shrugged. "Both, I guess." She paused before sighing, deciding to change the subject. "You know, Cai always worried about you. He thought that you were lonely…"

Tom sighed, not really wanting to think about how accurate his best friend's assessment had been. "I guess I worried about him, too."

She frowned a little. "How come?"

"Don't take this the wrong way but… I never understood you two as a couple. I mean, you were like fire and ice, you know? But, somehow, you were what he needed and he was what you needed. I just worried as we got older… I don't think you would ever be happy staying still, Kira. You don't do static."

She nodded. "But we didn't have to _be_ static. Just get a bigger ship, like he said."

Tom sighed. "I think that was a compromise on his part…"

"Yeah… I know," she admitted softly. "We would have worked it out, we always did, but I guess I'm pretty impossible to be with, huh?"

He shrugged. "I think you just need someone who can keep up with you. You definitely inherited Mom's crazy…"

She gave his leg a light whack at that, before sighing. "Maybe I did… Maybe I just need someone as crazy as I am."

"That would be my first suggestion."

"Yeah, well, you already found a girl at your level of crazy."

He sighed, turning over to face the wall. "Yeah, I guess… can I go to sleep now?"

"It's… empty. In my room, I mean. Can I stay in here?"

"Kira, we haven't shared a room since we were children…"

"I promise to not snore."

He sighed once more. "Fine…"

* * *

"What is it?"

Sophia's frown broke as her attention was drawn to the turian tucking strands of hair behind her ear. "Oh? Nothing. Just… worrying about Kira."

He sighed, giving her a humoured look. "I should probably just ask which twin you're worried about, instead of what's worrying you, shouldn't I?"

She gave him a sheepish shrug. "Maybe… I just… she seems to think that Nihlus doesn't care about her anymore."

"Soph, it _has_ been two years. Maybe he moved on

She sighed. "I know, I just…"

"Worry about them?"

She shook her head at that, giving a self-deprecating smile. "I am terrible for adopting strays, aren't I? The twins, Liara, Tali, Jack, Grunt…"

"I think it's sweet," he told her softly. "Like a really big family."

She smirked a little at that. "Yeah, just see how you feel about it ten years from now when you're surrounded by a whole horde of kids- Wow, okay, my mouth just completely ran away from me there… That was just… I don't even know where that came from…"

He interrupted her nervous babbling by pressing his forehead to hers. "Soph, you're not going to scare me away."

She smiled a little at him, her fingers tracing his bandages. "No, I guess if you're still here despite my genetic modifications and my cybernetics, not to mention almost ten years spent trying to kill you, you're probably not going anywhere any time soon."

"Exactly…"

"_Soph?_"

Sophia sighed a little as Joker's voice came over the comm. "Yeah?"

"_You wanted to know when we were approaching those coordinates._"

She sat up, grinning at that. "Indeed I did," she replied before turning to Garrus. "Come on, amore mio. It's time to pick up an old friend."

* * *

"_Tom_?"

Tom groaned as he sat up, frowning at the weight on his legs, only to look down to see his sister curled up in her blanket like a cat at the bottom of his bed.

"Yeah?" he answered the voice over the comm groggily, causing his sister to stir.

"_You might want to get up here. We just arrived at Haestrom_."

"And?"

"_And I may have a little bit of intel that says a certain quarian is down there and might need her knight in shining armour about now."_

He bolted straight up at that, waking Kira completely.

"I'm on my way…"

* * *

**AN - Additional - ****Next chapter should be up soon-ish. I'm a good way through writing already just because of how excited I am to finally have Tali back! ^^**


	22. Chapter 22

**AN: Another mid-length chapter but a really fast update.**

**Speaking of updates, as much as you guys probably don't think it's possible; I update too often. I _really_ have to focus on this next set of summer exams, so I'm giving myself a schedule.**

**From now on I will only update this fic on a Monday.**

**That doesn't mean _every_ Monday, but I tend to have an update schedule of five or six days right now, so it will probably be every Monday. I'm just trying to lengthen the time between chapters a little so that I'm forced to focus on my studies instead.**

**I'm not sure if I'm entirely happy with this chapter, but it read okay in my head, so I'm just running with it.**

**Also: warning for smut.**

**Once again, thanks to all of you brilliant people for reading this for so many chapters, with special thanks going out to all of the people who have followed/faved, and triple-rainbow sparkles thanks to 1054SS325MP, Zombie Pixel and DeltaAgent for the awesome reviews.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 22 - Not again. The line must be drawn here! This far, no further!**

"_Has anyone ever told you that you have a beautiful smile?"_

_Tali found herself blushing furiously as she brushed her fingers through her hair, pulling it over her __shoulder and out of her way. "Not a lot of people really get to see behind the mask," she pointed out to the turian occupying her quarters with her as he moved close, wrapping his arms around her waist._

"_Then I count myself lucky to be one of the few."_

"_You are so damn smooth at times, Tom. It's one of the reasons I keep you around."_

_He smiled a little at that, pressing his forehead to hers. "Really? I thought it was my ruggedly __handsome charm."_

"_Well, that too. Oh, and that thing you do with your biotics..."_

_His smile widened into a grin at that as he pulled her close to him. "You mean this thing?" he asked, __biotics gently flaring as he began to generate tiny mass effect fields, starting from the inside of her __spurs, trailing upwards until they reached the inside of thighs, pausing for a moment before they __reached her core, sending tremors through her as the tiny fields vibrated, some concentrating on her clit as more trailed on up into her, causing her legs to give a little, although Tom was quick to support her weight so that she didn't fall._

"_Yes... that..." she managed as he brought his tongue down to her neck, grazing the soft skin ever so slightly with his teeth, pushing her further towards the edge as his hands moved up to her breasts, teasing her nipples in their already hardened state._

"_Spirits, you have no idea what you do to me, Tali," he told her as the multiple stimuli had her on the precipice of orgasm within minutes, the feel of his hot breath caressing her ear sending her straight over the edge as one of his hands trailed down to her abdomen, feeling her muscles trying to grab at the mass effect fields he had generated inside of her as they dissipated._

_As soon as coherence returned to her, her lips were on his neck, her hand trailing down his plates, __eventually reaching his hardened member. She gave it a few strokes before moving them both so that he was positioned at her entrance, although he placed a hand on her arm to halt her movements._

"_Tali, are you sure? I mean, we do this a lot and I don't want you to get sick or anything..."_

_She didn't know whether to laugh or groan, wondering how the hell he had enough presence of mind to even begin to question this. "Tom, it's fine. Seriously. I mean, Keelah, I've never known a quarian adapt to someone of another species so quickly, but I haven't been sick for weeks now. Now, stop worrying, and just shut up and fuck me."_

"_Yes, ma'am..."_

* * *

Tali pulled herself back from her memories; gently stroking the bracelet her love had given her oh-so long ago...

She jumped at the sound of approaching footsteps, quickly stuffing the bracelet back into one of the pockets of her suit.

"You know, you're not doing a very good job of hiding that, ma'am."

Tali spun around to face Reegar, placing her hands on her hips as she gritted her teeth a little. She knew that, since she had seen Tom once more, she had been doing a poor job of keeping the bracelet out of sight, but keeping it close was about the only thing keeping her sane. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"The bracelet, ma'am. Since you don't want anyone to see it, I'm going to assume that the turian gave it to you."

She sighed, realising she had been caught. "His name is Tom. And, yes, it was… well..." She sighed once more.

"I won't tell anyone but… your father is right to be worried about you."

She groaned, folding her arms. "Maybe everyone should just mind their own business. I hate that everyone knows, that they look at me with pity, judging any choice that I might make."

"Downside of living on quarian ships, I'm afraid. Everyone knows everything about you. But, if I may say so, ma'am, there's not really a choice here."

She shook her head. "There's always a choice," she told him as she pulled out the bracelet, so that the deep blue inscription could be seen. "Just before he left, he was going to ask me to bond with him…"

"I don't really see how that's-"

She interrupted him. "Did you ever believe in zserelata?"

He shook his head. "Can't say that I ever did, ma'am. Seemed like the stuff of children's stories."

She nodded. "That's what I always thought… until I met Tom."

He sighed with understanding. "I can see why you'd have such a difficult time letting go. But, you know that you can't be together, right? It's too dangerous."

"That's the problem. I can't be with him, but I don't think that I can be without him, either…"

Reegar had been about to respond to that when the console began to blare an alarm to get their attention.

"Dammit, I thought we had missed their patrol ship," Tali commented.

"They must've increased their patrols in the area. Stay here, we'll go to investigate..."

* * *

Kira watched as her brother moved about the ship in a dazed, almost zombie-like state, preparing for the mission.

"Is he okay?" Sophia asked, approaching Kira. "He seems… _erratic_."

Kira quirked an eyebrow up at that. If anything, she would have thought that her brother seemed detached, but then she saw the faint flicker of biotics across her mother's skin, realising that she was referring to how he looked through her biotics.

"Yeah, I guess he's bottling this all up in his head…"

"Will he be able to keep his biotics in check like this?"

Kira paused for a moment before nodding. "As long as I'm there, he should be fine."

"I just worry about his reaction if… if this doesn't turn out how he hopes."

Kira shrugged. "He's a big boy, Shepard. He can handle a little heart-break. But… I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't worried too."

Sophia gave her daughter a reassuring smile, hoping to counter her worried frown, sighing a little. "What am I going to do with you two?" she asked warmly.

Kira just gave a weak, self-deprecating smile, folding her arms. "Accept that we're lost causes and just give up."

"Never," Sophia told her sincerely. "Besides, it would be boring around here without you two."

Kira gave her a grateful smile before moving over to her brother, wondering exactly where his head was at.

Tom knew that his sister and mother were worrying about him, but he had nothing to offer to allay their concerns, barely managing to keep his mind on the pre-mission tasks. His heart ached at the very thought of being reunited with his love, of holding her in his arms once more, but he had to admit that a small part of him was scared. He still had no idea why Tali had acted as she had on Freedom's Progress, leaving him unsure of their relationship. She _had _told him that she still loved him, without any prompt from him, and Kira was right; he couldn't imagine Tali ever saying something she didn't mean, but still… he couldn't help but wonder why she had been so distant.

"Hey, you okay?" Kira asked, pulling her brother from his daze as they boarded the shuttle.

"Yeah... just..." He trailed off, unsure of how to articulate his inner turmoil.

He was going to see Tali again.

But she might not want to see him.

"I know, fratellino," she told him softly, allowing her subharmonics to trill with reassurance.

"Kira, what if she doesn't-"

It was his mother who cut him off. "Tom, come on now, you need your mind on the mission. Let's figure out why they haven't been replying first."

He nodded, focusing on fueling his chaotic emotions into his biotics, hoping that there would be enough enemies to work off the excess power.

"Here," Kira said, passing him an energy bar as she noticed his biotics flaring just a little over his skin. "You always forget to eat, and then you wonder why you get exhausted."

"She has a point," Sophia commented, earning her a snort from Garrus as he joined them. "What?!"

He shook his head. "Nothing. Just that I don't know _anyone _who does that."

Kira nudged her brother at their parents' teasing, earning her a weak smile. To say that she was still worried about him would be an understatement. His nervous energy was almost tangible, putting everyone on edge as they occupied the small space with him, since it was clear that he was barely managing to keep his biotics in check. But she knew that whatever happened on the planet, whether Tali returned with them or not, at least her brother would get his answers.

Although, if anyone hurt him - Tali included - she wouldn't hesitate to teach them the true meaning of pain...

* * *

"Gorram bosh'tet comm unit!"

Tali sighed, turning to Reegar, taking the comm from him. "Reegar, it's not the comm," she told him. "Either theirs is broken or…"

_Or they can't respond…_

She didn't let herself focus on the thought that hung between them, instead turning back to her work. The geth being there made her job more difficult but, in the end, the data had to come first.

"I need to assess the situation," he told her, pulling her from her work once more. "Can you secure the door against the geth once I'm out?"

"You can't be serious! You wouldn't stand a chance on your own. If you have to go, I'm coming with you."

"Ma'am, you _have_ to finish retrieving that data or this mission was for nothing. So, can you secure this door or not?"

She paused, wishing that he wasn't right, before responding. "I doubt that I can out-hack the geth forever, but I should be able to finish retrieving the data. Not sure how I'll get out after that, though…"

"One problem at a time, ma'am."

"Good luck," she told him as she shut the door behind him, finding herself alone for the first time in weeks.

She hastily returned to her work, but paused momentarily as her gaze caught on her bracelet, partly visible as it poked out of her pocket, instantly flooding her thoughts with regret. She didn't know what she had thought would happen if she put her to rejoin the Normandy through standard channels; maybe that her father wouldn't abuse his position as Admiral so blatantly to deny her request. Clearly she had underestimated him. It didn't help that that everyone agreed with him. Keelah, maybe they were right; maybe returning _was_ a mistake, but, regardless, it was _her_ mistake to make, not theirs.

Sometimes she felt like a child playing with matches…

But, she figured that there was a very good chance that she wouldn't see the end of the cycle, so if there was ever a time for rebellion...

She took her bracelet from her pocket, wrapping it around her wrist so that it was in full view, even if the only ones who would see it would be the geth that killed her.

* * *

Kira and Sophia both shared a worried look through their helmets as they approached Reegar's position. Tom hadn't spoken a word since they had found out just how much danger Tali was in, although the static-y feedback on the comm told them that he was growling.

Kira wished that they had some way to contact Tali, but every terminal they had encountered had been damaged, leaving them with nothing but guess-work and their short conversation with Reegar over the comm earlier, informing them that she was safe for now, but time was running out.

Something Tom seemed all too keenly aware of as they rounded a corner, only to be confronted by the quarian marine in question.

"Squad Leader Kal'Reegar, Migrant Fleet Marines. I was the one you talked with on the radio."

"Commander Shepard, Allia- ah, I'm a friend of Tali's," Sophia replied.

"Shepard, huh?" he asked, his gaze drifting to the two turians. "That must make o-"

"Where's Tali?" Tom cut him off.

"Well, that answers that question, I guess. I have standing orders to not let you get close to Tali'Zorah, Tom, but this isn't the time to be picky about help."

Sophia and Kira both frowned at that. "Why in the hell would you have orders about my brother?" Kira asked, incredulously.

"It's… really not my place to say. Officially, all I know is that the order came from Admiral Zorah. But, like I said, this isn't the time to be picky. Tali'Zorah is holed up in the observatory over there. We just have to get past the armature to get to her."

Sophia nodded. "You should stay here, Reegar. That wound looks nasty."

He shook his head at that, clearly having not mentioned it in the hopes that they wouldn't notice it. "I'm fine."

"Reegar, I need you here, covering us. The four of us are more than capable of handling this."

"Why are we still talking about this?" Tom asked, growling with impatience before heading off towards Tali's position on his own.

"I'm on it," Kira told her parents as they both immediately turned to her, activating her cloak before heading off after her brother.

* * *

Tali's gaze drifted to the viewscreen as soon as she finished retrieving the data, only to see that she was completely surrounded by geth. She groaned, wondering how in the hell she was going to get out with the data. She wasn't even sure that any of the marines were still alive, but if they were, she had to make an effort to find them. Not least simply because she doubted that she could get past the rest of the geth on her own.

Her breath caught, however, when her gaze noted the blue-blur of biotics moving quickly through the geth forces. She knew that there were no biotics amongst either the marines or the science team that had accompanied her down to the planet, but she couldn't get a good look at who it was. Her heart hoped, but she suspected that it was simply being foolish. There could be any number of biotics that would-

That was when a geth that had gotten behind him suddenly overloaded, just before a woman decloaked next to him, her futuristic black armour with blue highlights telling Tali exactly who it was.

Which meant that the biotic blur was very much Tom.

Her happy relief was cut short, however, when he _charged_ the geth armature.

She moved as fast as she was able, hacking back through the door.

* * *

"_Did he just-_" Sophia started over the comm.

Kira groaned, nodding. "Charge the armature? Yeah…" She immediately cloaked once more, heading around the armature before climbing it to find the weak-spot, hoping that it didn't detect the extra weight, as her brother continued his brutal attack and their parents took care of the remaining smaller units.

Between Tom's assault and her own efforts, they had it disabled in minutes, but Kira was in no way relieved as she figured that Tom had probably taken more damage than even his fast-healing could compensate – he may be faster than the average turian, but he didn't have her cybernetic upgrades as well, after all – as well as exhausted himself by overusing his biotics.

Before she could get down to him, however, a dark purple/brown blur swiftly exited the building, shouting what Kira figured was the worst of quarian profanity.

Tom stood, dumbfounded, as the surprise of Tali heading towards him, insulting him, kept his exhaustion at bay.

"You stupid, bosh'tet idiot! Have your oxygen filters malfunctioned and left you brain damaged?! _Charging an armature_?! Are you _insane_?!" She whacked his armour a few times as she finally got close to him.

"Ow! Tali, I'm sorry!" he cried, lessening her blows, although she still got a couple more in before she moved her arms to wrap around his cowl, allowing him a glance of the bracelet that caused his heart to soar.

"You _idiot_. I thought I might have lost you…" she told him weakly as he wrapped his own arms around her, bringing her as close as their respective armours would allow, her head resting on the inside of his cowl as he utterly failed to contain the overwhelming joy that he felt as he held her in his arms once more.

"Tali, I'm not going anywhere," he replied, hoping beyond hope that whatever had happened on Freedom's Progress was just a one-time thing.

"Good," she replied softly, "because I don't think I could spend another moment away from you." She detached herself from him after another few moments, allowing him to press his helmet against hers.

They pulled away from each other when they interrupted by someone clearing their throat, turning to face Reegar.

"You're going to go with them, aren't you, ma'am?"

She nodded, stepping just a little in front of Tom in a way that he didn't miss. "Yes. I am."

"I figured as much. Zserelata and all. You don't have to worry. I won't try to stop you. I suspect it wouldn't do any good anyway. I know when I'm outnumbered."

"Thank you, Reegar," Tali told him.

"Just be sure that this is the right thing, ma'am. I figure your father will probably try to garrotte me with my own suit wiring when I get back, so I at least want to know that it was for a sure thing."

Tali nodded, her hand finding Tom's, causing the turian's subharmonics to trill with happiness, although no-one could hear it through his helmet. "If there's one thing in this galaxy I'm sure of, it's Tom. And you can tell my father that he has no authority over me other than that of an admiral, which his recent actions have certainly ben outside of. If he wants to exile me or some other punishment, fine, but he'd better have more solid ground than that he doesn't like my boyfriend."

"You know that it's more than that."

Tali bowed her head a little at that. "I know. But this is still my decision. My father needs to respect that."

Reegar sighed, but nodded. "Alright, I'll tell him when I deliver the data."

* * *

Kira kept her helmet on in the shuttle, using the fact that it covered her face to watch Tom and Tali without them noticing. They were mostly just being sickeningly cute; whispering hushed 'I love you's while struggling to keep their hands in chaste locations.

It was sweet, but it had Kira suspicious. From what Tom and Shepard had told her, this was quite the reversal from her attitude on Freedom's Progress. Although, Kira quickly decided that the problem had been a social stigma attached to Tali dating Tom, although that made no sense given that he had lived on the Flotilla with her for months, encountering no problem.

So, there was some stigma that had only come into play _after_ Tom had left, that Tali had now, apparently, decided to shirk. Although, the fact that it took her so long had Kira worried. She understood the difficulties of living in a society that doesn't approve of who you choose to love, but she had always stuck by Cai. Tali had just left Tom without as much as an explanation.

None of it added up.

"Come on, I'll show you around," Tom told Tali, leading her away by the hand, leaving Kira with her parents.

She removed her helmet before turning to them, Shepard especially since she had been with Tom on Freedom's Progress. "I'm not being paranoid, there's something fishy about this, right?"

Sophia gave her a reluctant look as she removed her own helmet. "It's not…" She sighed. "I think that there's enough of a reason to worry. But, as you said, he's old enough to handle himself. And I can't believe that Tali would ever willingly hurt him."

"Well, that makes one of us…"

* * *

Kira hated the fact that her brother could practically sense her presence. While extremely handy on the battlefield, it made spying on him incredibly difficult. She had been determined to follow him while he gave Tali a tour of the ship, but hadn't been able to.

She had ended up in the mess hall, which was mostly deserted, venting to EDI.

"So, now I don't even know where they are..."

"Your brother and Tali'Zorah are currently in engineering, Agent Kirayna."

Kira smiled, shaking her head. "Of course, I forgot, Cerberus cameras everywhere. Lacks the personal touch, but I suppose I could relegate some of my spying to you. So, are they still being confusingly lovey-dovey?"

"They have not discussed their relationship since boarding the ship. They were holding hands but ceased three minutes and twenty three seconds after coming aboard."

Kira frowned. "So, what are they talking about?"

"Recent activities, the ships specifications... I believe it is what humans refer to as 'small talk'."

Kira sighed, shaking her head. "What. The. Actual. Fuck. That's it, I'm done. They can sort out their own fucking problems. Either they like each other, or they don't. It isn't that fucking hard!"

"Observations of your own relationship troubles suggest otherwise."

Kira gave the terminal an incredulous look, wondering if the AI had just intentionally made a jab about her romantic situation, or lack-thereof, when Tali and Tom walked back into the mess hall.

The awkward tension between them was so thick; Kira swore she could have cut through it with a knife.

"I'll… erm… I should probably check that we actually have sterilized dextro supplies," Tom told Tali, clearly more nervous than Kira had ever seen him. She turned to the quarian as he left, although she seemed just as nervous. Kira knew that look, even through the mask. She was still worried about their relationship, as Tom was. But Kira couldn't figure out where this worry stemmed from. Tali had gone as far as to, essentially, cut herself off from home for Tom, and he hadn't done anything to make her doubt him as far as Kira could tell.

"_If there's one thing in this galaxy I'm sure of, it's Tom,"_ she had said. So then why did she seem so unsure?

_No, you're not interfering, remember?_

Kira sighed internally as she found that she wasn't capable of just letting the mystery go. She knew that she should let them work it out without her interference, but she doubted that they ever would. They would just continue to dance around each other until the end of time.

"Hey," Kira said to the other woman, drawing her attention. "I… I wanted to apologise. I wasn't particularly… friendly towards you on the SR1."

She shrugged. "It's okay, Kira. I understand."

Kira nodded before looking in the direction of her brother. "He missed you, you know?"

"He did?"

"Why does that surprise you so much? Didn't you miss him?"

"Of course I did! I just…"

Kira sighed, shaking her head a little. "Tali, my brother hasn't so much as looked at another woman since he met you. But, I must admit that I'm confused. You say you still love him, you even go so far as to leave the fleet for him, but you still keep your distance." The quarian said nothing in her defence, but her shoulders slumped a little. She knew what was happening, so could only Kira hope that she would fix it. "Just… don't hurt him, okay?"

Tali nodded. "That's the last thing I want…"

They were interrupted by Tom returning. "Hey," he said simply.

"Hey, can we go somewhere we can talk?" Tali asked as Kira fixed her with a meaningful look.

"Yeah, sure…" Tom answered, leading her over to his quarters. Once the door was shut, she moved over to him, but seemed awkward, unsure where to place her hands as they hovered over his armour.

"I, erm…" She settled for folding her arms, although she still stood close to him. "I think you probably have questions…"

He nodded, sighing. "A few… Tali, what the hell is going on? On Freedom's Progress? And just now on Haestrom?"

She sighed, looking away a little. "Okay, before I tell you, there's something that you have to understand: everyone else is blowing this _way_ out of proportion."

"Blowing _what_ out of proportion?"

"It's really nothing. I… I got a little sick a month or two after you left. I mean, I'm _fine_, but for a while it looked like I might not be…"

He frowned, looking away from her as his subharmonics trilled with shame. "I… I'm sorry, Tali. I should have been there."

She shook her head. "No, don't start that. There was no way you could have known. As, I said, I'm fine. Everyone else just likes to worry."

"Was that the thing that made your father overprotective?"

She nodded. "You know what he was like. The change was so sudden. I think maybe he was guilty about having not spent more time with me before. But when he started trying to make sure that I never saw you again-"

"See, Tali, _that_ is what I don't understand. What in the hell did I do to deserve this?"

She looked away from him a little sheepishly. "Well, I _am_ fine now, but it… the doctors told me that my immune system has been compromised. Even if the room was sterile, taking my suit off with you would be… a bad idea. They told me that if I was with another quarian, it would probably be fine, but not another species…"

Understanding dawned on him as he could feel his heart begin to crack. "I see. Tali, if you want to… I mean, you…" He couldn't even say it, his subharmonics making a strangled sound.

"Tom, I don't… I get that you probably want someone you can _actually_ be with… you know, without suits in the way… I guess I just… maybe it was hoping too much that you wouldn't-"

He cut her off, placing his hands on her arms. "Tali, I don't care. I love you, whether you're stuck in the suit or not. I just need _you_ to be sure that it's what you want."

She nodded. "Tom, I know it's probably stupid, but I love you. I've _always_ loved you, and I can't imagine that changing."

"Tali, after everything else we've dealt with, this is just another thing."

"You mean like the fact that your parents are my best friends and they don't know that?"

"And the fact that you're both older and younger than me?"

She laughed a little at that, before pausing. "Tom, are you really sure?"

He nodded. "Without a doubt. Plus, there are other ways we can make this work," he told her, smiling as he pressed his forehead to hers, his arms resting on hers gently.

She took a moment to simply enjoy the feel of his hands on her arms through her suit. It wasn't as good as skin-on-skin contact, but after so long, she would take anything she could get.

She gasped as she felt the familiar tickle of biotics on the inside of her spurs, quickly turning into a caressing touch that had her suit beeping at her, telling her that heart rate had increased.

"I figured that wouldn't count," Tom told her, a cheeky grin across his face.

"Keelah, Tom, it's been so long."

Just hearing her gasp like that was enough to fully loosen his plates as he couldn't help but agree with her. He couldn't contain the lustful growl that escaped his throat to meet her gasp as she ground her hips against his. He responded immediately by picking her up easily, tossing her down onto his bed as he concentrated on maintaining the biotic field that was slowly trailing up her inner thighs, causing her squirm a little as she craved further friction, drawing needy whimpers from her that had his erection painfully held against his armour.

He moved one – admittedly well-practiced – hand to release the clasps at his hips as the other moved up to his lover's breast, pressing hard enough so that she could easily feel his touch through the suit. The noises she was making caused feedback through her helmet speakers but Tom was past caring as she moved her hand down to stroke his length through his undersuit. She'd just managed to free him from the restriction of the fabric when he pulled his biotic field further up to tease her folds, struggling to keep his concentration. Suited or not, it had been far too long since hands other than his own had handled his cock. Far longer than he had ever waited before – discounting the years before he had been introduced to the pleasures of the female form – but he knew that she was worth it.

She'd always be worth it.

He made a concerted effort to keep his mouth from her neck, knowing that, suit or no; he would claim her as his own if he wasn't careful. Using his biotics to keep his focus concentrated, but it was difficult. He was determined to have her writhing beneath him in the grasp of orgasm before he came, but he was so worked up and it had been so long.

"Tom… I'm so close…" she gasped, almost doing for him as she continued to pump his member with her hand, but he managed to keep his head clear long enough to push his biotics up inside of her, simulating his cock filling her as best he could.

Seemingly it was more than good enough as she clutched at the bed sheets in an all-too familiar way, her helmet speaker producing massive amounts of static, although he was sure that he could make out his name being cried from her lips.

Memories of her fully bared to him, writhing like this as he brought her to completion filled his mind, not exactly lacking for instances to pull the images from, pushing him over the edge, although he made sure, in his last coherent moment, that he didn't come _on_ her.

They had learnt the hard way how difficult it was to get the stuff off of her suit.

Once he was done, he lay down next to her as she turned to him.

"Keelah, Tom, that was… just, _damn_…"

He smirked a little at that. "See? Told you it would be fine."

"Tom… are you sure about this? I don't want you to regret this. _Us_."

He shook his head, his hand trailing down her arm before coming to rest on the bracelet wrapped around her wrist. "Tali, I love you. I couldn't regret us for a second. Remember when we first tried it without the suit? We didn't know that it would work, but I still gave you this, because I love you anyway."

"I just... Keelah, I was sure that this wouldn't... I thought that I had pushed you away at Freedom's Progress. Or maybe you hadn't... I thought maybe you'd found someone else..."

"Never... although I'd be lying if I said that what happened on Freedom's Progress... well, it was _confusing_ at the very least. I mean... you could have just told me everything at the time."

"Tom, I... I wasn't sure how. I mean, Keelah, even _I_ don't have all of the answers."

"I still don't understand how you getting sick makes everyone hate _me_."

She shook her head. "I told you, it's not to do with you. After I got better the doctors told me that being out of my suit with someone of a different species would be even more dangerous than usual, even you, despite how quickly I adjusted to you. I... told them that I didn't care, but my father seemed to be under the impression that if I returned to you, I would, inevitably, make myself sick. Because, you know, it's not as if I'm a full grown woman with a brain, capable of making my own decisions."

"Tali, I've never exactly known you to not speak your mind. At least, not for that long."

She snorted a little at that. "Oh, I did. I was _furious_. But... you had said two years. I figured I should just play along with my father until then. Tom, if it had been any other squad on Freedom's Progress, I would have joined you in an instant, but Prazza..."

"Might have actually killed me?"

"Yeah," she admitted, reluctantly.

"Yeah, I have to say, I'm not too thrilled with this whole 'your father has ordered marines to keep me from seeing you' thing. Seems like an overreaction. Am I going to be dodging bullets from every quarian we meet?"

Tali shook her head. "That order was only given to the squads I was working with."

"Because, you know, _that_ makes me feel better."

"Tom, trust me, I think he's insane. I know that he's just trying to protect me but... this is too much. Keelah, I felt like one of those princesses from the human stories you told me, locked away in a tower, waiting for my knight in shining armour."

"I came, didn't I?" he said, softly, pressing his forehead to hers through her helmet.

"I knew you would. You get off on playing the hero."

He gave her a cheeky grin at that. "As if you have any room to talk. It's always the quiet ones..."

* * *

**AN - Additional:**

**Me: What?**

**You Guys: You _know_ what. Seriously?**

**Me: I don't know what you're talking about... *hides behind boxset of Joss Whedon's Firefly***

**You Guys: Uh-huh.**

**Me: *shrugs* Could have been worse. Could have been a Chuck reference...**


	23. Chapter 23

**AN: Sorry about the wait. I'm kind of swamped between now and the summer so, apologies, but you may only see an update every _other_ Monday. :(**

**Also, sorry about this chapter being kind of short. **

**Thanks, as always, to everyone who reads, with double thanks to everyone who follows/favourites, and triple awesome thank yous to Zombie Pixel, Laufeyson'sWife and DeltaAgent for the awesome reviews. You guys rock! ^^  
**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 23 - We're Fallin' Through Space, You and Me, Clinging to the Skin of This Tiny Little World, and If We Let Go...**

"_Spirits! What happened down there?"_

_Tom took a moment to consider how he was going to answer his friend as he laid his sister down in the medbay. It had been a simple information gathering mission, nothing more, but Kira had still ended up hurt._

"_I'm not sure, Cai. As far as I can tell, someone tried to poison her... maybe they were just trying to spike her drink..."_

"_Do you know what with?"_

_Tom nodded. "I caught the guy. It was red sand."_

_Caius frowned at that as Tom observed him having to restrain himself from going to his love's side, allowing Tom to apply the first aid. "Tom, I've seen Kira poisoned with a lot worse and shrug it off. Usually nothing can knock her out cold like this..."_

_Tom nodded, wondering what the hell he should do. He'd never heard of anyone having this reaction to sand before, but Kira wouldn't wake._

_His thoughts were interrupted as she became fitful, her fists flailing in front of her before she bolted upright, gasping for air._

"_Kira? Are you alright?" he asked, leaning forward._

_Her gaze stopped its frantic search, locking onto him. She seemed to calm almost immediately, nodding, before laughing a little, confusing him with her shyly playful look. "There's no need to be joke about it, fratellino. Of course I'm alright. But, if you're not comfortable talking about this, we don't have to."_

_He frowned. His sister wasn't making any sense but the words sounded familiar, as if she had spoken them to him before. "Talking about what, Kira?"  
_

_She snorted, shaking her head. "See, I knew it. You're still too freaked out to talk about it properly. If you want, we could talk about __**your**__ romantic escapades, which, if the rumours are anything to go by, there have been a lot of. With __**multiple**__ women. At the __**same time**__, even."_

_Tom stared at his sister in shock, not because of what she was saying, he had heard it before, but because he __**had**__ heard it before. Word for word. He turned to his friend. "This is a conversation we had more than four years ago," he murmured to Cai._

_The other turian responded by moving to his newly bonded's side. "Kira? Can you hear me?"_

_She ignored him, the pattern of her gaze suggesting that she didn't register anything in the room other than her brother. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound... just... be careful, okay?"_

"_Only if you are," he replied, deciding to simply play along._

"_Yeah..." she responded, her shy smile returning once more. "Tom, I... I think I love him." Her smile widened into a full blown grin as she giggled, pulling her knees up to her chest. "I really do... I am in love with Caius. That just... it sounds so funny. But it's true..."_

"_No, it doesn't sound funny at all," Tom replied, hoping that the conversation wasn't weirding out his friend. He chanced a glance over, seeing that Cai seemed both embarrassed and worried, but, despite that, he also seemed a little pleased, leaving Tom with an idea that seemed all too tempting. Maybe they couldn't stop Kira from reliving the past, but nothing said that he couldn't make minor alterations to the script. He remembered that at the time he hadn't exactly been surprised by his sister's revelation, although she was right; he __**had**__ been a little weirded out by it, quickly changing the topic of conversation._

_Not this time._

_He shot his friend a smirk before turning back to his sister. "So, are you going to get bonded and run away together?" he teased._

_She began to blush furiously, pulling her knees tighter to her chest. "I- you know, you're not as funny as you think you are..."_

"_That's not a 'no'."_

"_It's an 'I'm sixteen and not getting bonded any time soon'..."_

"_But what about when you're older?"_

_She looked away shyly, tucking her hair behind her ear, as her fingers seemed to subconsciously stroke the spot where she now __**had**__ bondmarks. "Well... I guess I could definitely see myself bonded to Cai... You know, when we're older and stuff..."_

"_Something tells me you two are going to be together for a long time."_

"_Yeah, I think you're... I think you're... I..." Her eyelids fluttered before she fell into unconsciouness once more._

_Cai responded by wrapping his hand around her own, his other hand moving to gently brush her hair from her features as his subharmonics trilled with concern. "Do you think she'll be okay?"_

_Tom nodded, checking his scans. "We should head to a hospital, but it looks as if her body __**is**__ getting rid of it. These effects should only be temporary. I hope..."_

"_I've never seen a reaction like this. Do you think it's her nanobots or..." He trailed off, uncertain of how to voice his... suspicions. Tom had often spoken to him about his questions concerning his and Kira's origins, including his worries that, while he may look it, he may not be entirely turian. What other turian could get nutrients from levo foods, after all? Kira, on the other hand, was curiously silent on the topic. She had initially brought it up when they had started dating - it was up there with her bionic arm as a reason why he couldn't possibly love her - but she hadn't been very specific, and he hadn't asked. He had meant what he had said when he had first asked her out; he wouldn't have been bothered if she were krogan. He loved her, regardless._

_Tom shrugged, pulling his friend from his thoughts. "I don't know. Even when she was at her worst, she never put anything stronger than alcohol into her system."_

"_I swear to the spirits, if this is because of anything the Council did to her..." Cai growled._

_Tom couldn't help but agree._

* * *

Kira was bored.

Mordin had practically kicked her out of the lab, telling her that there wasn't anything more she could do for now. She suspected that he, like her mother, was concerned that she was burying herself in her work, but they didn't seem to understand that it was a deliberate choice.

In the past week since Tali had come back aboard, she and Tom had been inseparable. Kira was, admittedly, still a little wary of the quarian, but she figured that there was a point at which she simply had to trust her brother's judgement. Seemingly, Tali had her reasons, as Tom had told her, although he hadn't exactly been forthcoming with what those reasons were. Plus, he'd told EDI to keep it quiet, and since they both had the same level of clearance, Kira had been left without answers.

Regardless of her worries, it meant that she had no one to talk to, since Sophia and Garrus just as bad, leaving Kira feeling particularly lonely. It didn't help that back on the SR1, she would have simply turned to Nihlus. But she had done a fine job of pushing him away…

Kira struggled not to sigh at that thought. She didn't see what she could have done differently. He simply didn't like her without the pheromones. Which left her… _conflicted_, to say the least. She had to admit to herself, that, as difficult she had found her feelings for the turian Spectre to define, she knew that she wanted him to want her, but for the right reasons.

Which didn't exactly help her to untangle the mess of feelings that Nihlus seemed to bring to the surface.

So, she was alone, and it wasn't even as if she had any friends to talk to. So, she was just wandering around the ship, cloaked so that no one would see her thoughtful look and think that something was wrong (what was so strange about being alone with your thoughts?). She couldn't even remember how she'd ended up wandering into Kasumi's room. It had simply happened while she was deep in thought.

"You know, that cloak is really good. I almost didn't notice you," the thief told her as she entered, startling her a little. She felt her face flush red with embarrassment as she decloaked. She'd never really been caught… well, ever. "So, what brings you here?"

Kira shrugged, noncommittally, glad that Kasumi didn't seem offended by her intrusion. But then, she never really saw the thief about the ship and doubted that she spent all of her time locked in her room.

"Let me guess; you're trying to escape all of the couples on board being all lovey-dovey?"

Kira smirked a little, folding her arms as she leant back against the bar. "I'll admit, between Tom and Tali, and Shepard and Garrus, it's hard to not feel…"

"Left out?"

"Kira just shrugged once more, her gaze dropping a little. "I guess. They've all got each other and I… I've got memories."

Kasumi nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I get that. Don't get me wrong; it's all very cute but-"

"Nauseating?"

Kasumi smirked a little at that. "I guess that's one way to describe it. Come on, I'm sure I've got some dextro drink around here somewhere."

"How did you-"

"What? You think you're the only one who wanders the ship cloaked?"

"Well, I had my suspicions... So," she smiled as Kasumi passed her a drink, "do you just know all of my dirty secrets?"

Kasumi returned her smile, sitting next to her. "Well, I know that Shepard and Garrus are your parents."

"Doesn't count. Everyone knows that. Well, except for them."

"I was just getting started. I also know that you have a husband in the future, and that he's turian."

Kira nodded, her gaze fixed on the drink in front of her. "Caius. But, again, I don't exactly hide it. I mean, it's not as if I cover up my markings or anything."

"I'm just curious about it. I mean, are you still married or what? Turians don't exactly seem to have a concept of divorce since they scar their bondmates."

Kira sighed a little. "Humans are one of the most complicated species when it comes to romantic relationships. We are right up there with asari. For turians it's different. Bonding is instinct, not some weird evolution of property law. I mean, gender equality has never been an issue with turians; both genders have the same bonding instincts. When two turians bond, it's for life, with that bond only breaking when the other dies. Being trapped in another timeline... there's no precedent for this, but, as far as I'm concerned, it counts as dead."

"Will he see it that way?" Kasumi asked softly.

Kira sighed. "By this point, we'll be assumed dead. There'll be no evidence to suggest otherwise, as far as I can tell. His clan will pressure him to take a new mate. Hell, they damn sure didn't want him bonding with me to start with."

Kasumi frowned a little, folding her arms. "So, thinking you're dead is the best thing for him? It lets him move on with his life."

Kira let out a little laugh at that. "Cai... was never great at following the rules. Especially where I was concerned. I need to... I need to know that he's moved on."

"So that you can?"

Kira shook her head. "I already have. It's not just Cai. What about our parents? Don't they deserve to know that we're still alive? Plus, we should give the Council some kind of report. Especially if we want to prevent this from happening again."

Kasumi nodded. "I think I get that."

"So, is that all you've learnt about me? That Shepard and Garrus are my parents and that I'm sort-of married?"

"Well, I've tried to listen into your conversations with Mordin but I don't understand most of it. Something about you being some kind of hybrid or something."

Kira shook her head. "Transgenic organisms," she corrected, "not hybrids. Hybrids are different."

Kasumi just gave her a blank look for a moment. "Yes but what exactly does that _mean_?"

Kira sighed, wondering how she should explain. "They took DNA from my mother and they switched out some of the genes with 'better' ones, mostly from different species, although some were _entirely_ artificial. Some of the genes used came from my dad, but some were from other species. Asari, salarian, krogan, quarian, _varren_... there are even a couple from a species on Sur'Kesh that are kind of like dolphins."

"That... doesn't seem possible."

Kira shrugged. "Genetic engineering is nothing new. Neither are transgenic organisms. But on sentient beings? It's along with cloning on the Council list of 'no-no's."

"But... then why do you look human?"

"They made changes, but... it took them a lot of tries, but they kept my appearance as close to the original as possible. Although, she has her own modifications. Most of the changes were kept to things like biochemistry and physical fitness. I'm supposed to be a spy so blending in is kind of important."

Kasumi raised an eyebrow. "So they made you look like Commander Shepard?"

"I, erm... don't really like to think about what they may have been trying to do. Or... how they created Tom and I. I lost three years of sleep to those files..."

Kasumi nodded, thinking back to her earlier remark about 'a lot of tries'. So, she decided to change the subject. "So, mind if I ask you a personal question?"

Kira snorted. "If these haven't been, I'd love to know you count as 'personal'."

"You... don't seem to trust Tali."

"I-" Kira started to deny it, but gave up immediately, knowing that it would have been futile. "She just... Tom seems to have just accepted her strange behaviour, so she must have given him a valid explanation, but... he won't tell me and I worry about him. I'd just feel better if I knew..."

"Wow, and I thought I was bad. You really need a boyfriend, huh?"

"Shut up..."

* * *

Tali sighed silently, her helmet speaker turned off so as not to disturb Tom. She was sure that sleeping next to her while she was in her suit couldn't be comfortable, but she also couldn't deny that after so long apart, she was happy to spend as much time in his arms as possible, a sentiment he seemed to share. Although, tonight his presence wasn't having its usual calming effect on her.

She had thought that she had done the right thing when she had omitted parts of her story - _she_ didn't even have all of the answers, and Tom didn't need that same uncertainty - but the guilt eating away at her insides told her otherwise.

Eventually she gave up on sleep, gently extracting herself from her love's arms, so as not to wake him. She wasn't exactly sure where she wanted to go. Engineering was calling to her, as it always did, but, while some were perfectly pleasant, she had made a habit of avoiding most of the Cerberus crew and she knew that there would be more than a few in engineering.

So, she eventually decided upon the unoccupied observation deck, only to find that it was, indeed, occupied.

"Kira?"

The human woman seemed surprised at the sound of her name, whipping her head around. "Shit, Tali! I thought you were Kasumi."

Tali frowned a little as she noticed how Kira was lying on the sofa, an empty bottle of wine on the floor next to her. "Why would I be Kasumi?"

"We're playing hide-and-seek. Although, she appears to have given up. Or she's passed out drunk somewhere... So, what are you doing up?"

Tali faltered a little at that. She was there because, despite everything, things between her and Tom were going great, but her stupid conscience wouldn't just shut up and let her be happy. "Couldn't sleep," she finally settled for.

"Something on your mind?"

"I just... no, it's too weird to talk to you about it," she admitted.

Kira smirked a little. "Ah. Can I assume that this is to do with your secret that Tom won't tell me?"

Tali frowned. "I assumed that he had. I mean, I had asked him to keep it between us, but I figured that he would tell you anyway."

"A few years ago, I would have thought so too. But you're more important to him than my curiosity. I just hope those feelings aren't misplaced..."

"Kira, I love your brother with all my heart," Tali told her earnestly, "but sometimes... it's difficult, you know? We are two different species, after all."

"Well, given Tom's enhancements, that's debateable, but I understand where you're coming from. I was bonded to a turian for five years."

Tali nodded, sitting down on the edge of the sofa next to Kira, as the human woman lifted her legs up so that she could rest her chin on her knees. "It's not easy, is it?"

Kira laughed a little, shaking her head. "No, it isn't. I mean, hell, Cai's family were less than impressed by the whole affair. Even the fact that I was the daughter of the saviours of the galaxy did little to help them see past my species. But maybe they were right in some ways... He never said anything until those last few months but... I noticed the little things."

Tali frowned, not quite following. "Wait, what was bothering him?"

Kira shrugged, her gaze dropping. "That the two of us couldn't have children. Adoption laws were still archaic, even in my time, and I was locked into my job. The Council like their agents to have minimal attachments, so anything other than an 'accident' would have been out of the question. Like I said, neither of us spoke about it until those last few weeks but... it was the little things. Like how he'd always sit up and pay attention to those ridiculous urban legends. You know, where someone has a hybrid child and manages to keep them a secret? The best was the one about the hermit out on some remote human colony who hid themselves away because they were some kind of half-breed."

Tali nodded, the smile evident behind her mask. "I've heard similar ones. Quarian children often swap tales of one family or another having some turian blood, but you would never know because of the suits."

"I know, right? Talk about ridiculous. But... I think some wishful part of Cai believed them, just a little." Not that the idea was actually so ridiculous now that she knew what she did, but Kira quickly suppressed those thoughts. That road only lead to empty regret... "So," she started in an effort to change the subject back, "what exactly is so difficult between you two? I mean, you don't have to tell me if it's too weird... I just... I'm not good with this friend stuff. I've never really had any before. But, I'd... like to be able to count you as one. You make my brother happy, Tali, so I'll help you if I can."

Tali nodded, her gaze fixing itself out of the window to watch the stars pass by. "I... About a week or so before he... left, I started to get sick. There could have been a thousand reasons for it and it wasn't too bad, so I didn't pay it much attention. But... weeks went by and I didn't get better. I actually... got worse. A lot worse. It scared my dad pretty bad, and now... my immune system is even worse than usual."

Kira's eyes widened in understanding. "So, you're _really_ stuck in the suit now?"

Tali nodded. "I don't care, as long as Tom doesn't, and he told me that he doesn't."

"So then, why are you so upset?"

Tali sighed, shaking her head a little. "Because... there's a little more to the story that I haven't told Tom. You know what he's like, Kira... If I told him the rest..."

"What happened?" Kira asked softly, noting how the quarian's voice seemed to crack behind her helmet's speaker.

"I... I got feverish really fast, so I don't remember much. I was in the medbay and my father came to give the doctors permission for treatments while I couldn't. It looked... really bad for a while, or so I'm told. When I came to, they told me that it was a bad reaction to... a buildup of foreign material in the body. Basically, they said that Tom had been the cause..."

Kira frowned, trying to push through the haze of alcohol, hoping that it would allow Tali's story to make more sense. "But you continued to get worse after Tom left?"

Tali nodded. "That confused me as well. I tried to ask about it, but I didn't understand the answer. Plus, my father took it upon himself to shelter me, deciding that looking into it would only upset me further..."

"Why did it take so long to recover? If you don't mind me asking."

"It didn't... as soon as they treated me, I was fine. There was just something about them having to figure out the exact treatment or... something. But, again, it was all technical words and details that were lost on me. What I thought I understood... just didn't make sense."

Kira nodded. It didn't make sense to her, either, and she was usually good with biology.

Unless...

_No... that didn't..._

_It couldn't have been that..._

Kira figured that it was just the alcohol, coupled with their earlier conversation that had lead to this conclusion. Either that, or she really had to stop watching bad drama vids late at night...

But the more she thought about it, the more sense it made.

Despite the fact that it was completely ridiculous...

"Kira," Tali continued on, seemly unaware of her new friend's realisation, "you _know_ what Tom is like. He will blame himself and decide that... that it isn't worth the risk..."

"Are you sure that it is?" The way Tali snapped her head up in reply told her all she needed to know. "Right, stupid question."

"No, it isn't." Tali sighed, slumping her shoulders a little in admission. "I... I'd be lying if I said that I fully understand it myself. I know that it sounds completely stupid and that I _should_ just go home and try to forget him but..."

"But you love him," Kira supplied, understandingly.

"Which sounds like a flawed argument, even to my ears, but... there's an old quarian thing. If I had to equate it to a human term it would be 'love at first sight'. I never really believed that it existed but... then I met Tom, and I have never been more glad to have been proven wrong."

Kira nodded. "Zserelata, right? The thing that Reegar mentioned."

"Yeah... I think that was the main reason why he let me go."

Kira couldn't tell Tali that she understood, because she had never experienced something like that before, but she had seen clearly the way that her brother was towards the quarian, even just after they had met, so she knew that the feeling was mutual. Kira sighed a little, regarding the quarian carefully before returning to the matter at hand. "But, Tali, my brother isn't stupid. Blinded by love, maybe, but not stupid. He'll figure out something's wrong eventually and, trust me, it _will_ tear you apart. I learnt the hard way that keeping secrets from family is a bad idea."

"I just... I'm scared I'll lose him," Tali admitted quietly.

"Tali, I doubt you will. Just be honest with him."

"I... you're probably right..."

"I usually am, sorellina."

Tali frowned. "What was that last word? It didn't translate right..."

Kira just gave her a knowing smile before cloaking. "Night, Tali."

* * *

Mordin was busy working in the lab when he turned around, only to be confronted by Kira as she decloaked, fidgeting incessantly as she often did when faced with a difficult problem.

"Kira?" he asked when she just stood there silently.

"Erm, Mordin, you know how you've been, well, dropping not-so-subtle hints about the fact that... well, about the boundaries between species as far as I'm concerned?"

Mordin nodded. "Seemed upset by the comments so stopped commenting."

"Yeah, I was just wondering... does the same apply to Tom?"

"Do not wish to break doctor-patient confidentiality."

She groaned before giving him a slightly pleading look."Please, Mordin. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important..."

He frowned a little, but quickly realised that it was such an odd request for her to make without reason. "Yes. Species difficult to define for you both."

"You said that I could be human or turian. Were there any other species?"

"Drell, quarian-"

She cut him off. "And Tom?"

"The same."

She nodded, distractedly. "Right, but... I mean, even if we could be technically classed as these species... it would never... it might be okay in theory, but in _practice_?"

Mordin shrugged. "Probably right. Too many issues that could arise."

"But, that would be later..."

"Indeed."

She sighed, shaking her head. What was it that she had just told Tali about not lying to family? And now she was seriously contemplating keeping this from them both.

_Crap_.


	24. Chapter 24

**AN: Ha! Managed to get you guys a mid-length chapter in a week!**

**Urgh, my brain! I am currently in full-blown study mode, and I'm pretty sure my brain is leaking out of my ears...**

**Thanks go out to everyone who reads, with special thanks to everyone who follows/favs, and double special thanks to Kasena, Laufeyson'sWife, DeltaAgent and 1054SS325MP for the awesome reviews.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 24 - I Am So Impressed That You Can Make a Protest Statement and Show Cleavage All At the Same Time**

_Kira was fuming. She knew as much, and so extracted herself to the edge of the training grounds, deciding to take her anger out on a VI opponent, setting it as high as it would go, thankful that the turians didn't exactly have safeties on them._

_If she wasn't bleeding, she wasn't being challenged enough._

_She won most of the rounds but as time waned on, leaving her almost alone as curfew rapidly approached, cracks began to form in her defense. Even with her enhancements, she had her limits. But she knew that. Pushing herself to overcome those limits was one of the few outlets she had for the almost constant anger that seemed to exist as embers mostly, although inflamed whenever she saw or felt injustice or oppression._

_She seemed to be on the receiving end of a lot of both lately._

_But she would hold her tongue. Complaining would do nothing but see her returned home and she couldn't leave. They had always known that the biotic training would be difficult, but it was hard not to note how exhausted he seemed. He would shake his head and laugh it off, jokingly telling her that he had simply been forsaking sleep in order to have fun with his friends. But she had always been able to tell when her brother was lying._

"_You know, there are easier ways to kill yourself."_

_She smiled at the familiar voice before coughing a little. Her VI opponent had just thrown her to the ground, winding her. She turned to see Caius standing at the edge of the ring, his presence spurring her on a little, making her determined to not make an ass out of herself._

_She had the VI defeated in less than thirty seconds._

"_Trust me, they'll need something a lot bigger before I even begin to take them seriously."_

_He frowned a little. "Who's 'they'?"_

_She shook her head, folding her arms. "Nothing... So, did you just come here to see me getting all hot and sweaty, or did you need me for something?"_

_She tried to stifle a smile at the awkward sounds his subharmonics started making. Making jokes out of the idea that he might be attracted to her was one of the few ways she had of hiding the fact that she really __**did**__ want him. Although, no matter how many times she did it, it still seemed to catch him off-guard._

"_I, erm, well, your brother is... I'm worried about him, Kira."_

_She nodded, her smile quickly fading. "I suspect they're pushing him past his limits. No easy feat considering his already substantial training but... he has __**always**__ reigned himself in. They can see that and are trying to push him out of his comfort zone."_

"_Kira, he's not sleeping. He's... he says it's 'nightmares'..."_

_Kira nodded. "Turians don't usually dream, but Tom is a special case. Although, he hasn't spoken to me about it, so..." She sighed. "Dammit, how am I supposed to keep an eye on him if he won't let me?"_

"_Maybe because you're fifteen now and he doesn't want to worry you."_

_Kira sighed, shaking her head. "I __**worry**__ anyway..." Caius gave her a funny look at that. "What?"_

"_Nothing, just... everyone thinks that you're cold, but if they could see you now, so worried over your brother..."_

_She blushed a little at that, her gaze dropping. "It's not something I let a lot of people see. I'd rather that they thought me a heartless bitch rather than a... a carbon copy of my mother."_

"_I'm glad that you let me see, then."_

_Her blush seemed to deepen a little, so she decided that they had to change the subject. "I have no idea what to do here... how to protect him," she admitted. "I see how exhausted he is and... and I feel like I'm failing him."_

"_Kira, you can't protect him from everything. Spirits, I'm sure he doesn't know about most of the things you __**do**__ shield him from."_

"_I don't know what you're talking about," she replied, a little too quickly._

"_**Right**__. You know, I envy your brother at times. He attracts girls like moths to a flame. Of course, he'd never notice."_

_Kira smirked a little at that. "Typical Tom, he falls for the one girl he can't have."_

"_I don't know, I think she might go for him. If someone hadn't been warning her off..."_

"_I haven't been __**warning**__ her off. I just... dropped a hint or two that I might kill her if she gets too close to him."_

_Cai raised an eyebrow at that. "And you wonder why he doesn't tell you things..."_

"_Oh, __**seriously**__? Do you know why she was transferred here?"_

_He shook his head. "I've heard rumours-"_

"_She was screwing her instructor."_

"_-but that was not one of them..."_

_She nodded, indicating to her omni-tool. "I... hacked some files. From what I found, it looks like things got... messy. But, you've met her, you know what she's like, and you also know Tom. I'm not overprotective without reason, Cai. He's... he doesn't have a lot of smarts when it comes to this kind of thing."_

"_And you do?"_

_She frowned a little, unable to define the strange edge to his tone. "I... I can see what Ty does, Cai, because I've done the same thing. But she never shuts it off. She never lets anyone close and Tom isn't going to change that. He'll only end up getting hurt."_

_Cai sighed, nodding. "Yeah, I can't help but agree with you."_

"_One day he'll fall for someone who isn't a complete bitch and on that day I'll do everything in my power to make sure he doesn't let her go."_

"_Do you ever think that you're __**too**__ involved sometimes?"_

_Kira shrugged. "Maybe. But... Tom is still like I used to be. He has none of this pain and none of the scars... is it so bad that I want him to stay like that?"_

"_We all have to grow up sometime, Kira."_

_She nodded. "I know. But do we always have to be dragged kicking and screaming?"_

_He shook his head, a little disbelieving. "You know, everyone around here claims I have a silver tongue, but you? You are are Spirits-damned poet."_

"_You're avoiding the question."_

"_It's... a difficult question to answer. I guess my answer is; maybe. But I hope not."_

_Her gaze dropped a little, before she too decided that the subject was a little too grim. "You know, for all you claim to envy Tom, that silver tongue of yours could probably get you any girl you want."_

_He shook his head. "There's only one girl for me. Well, woman, really. And she's the only one who can see through my tricks."_

"_A 'woman', huh? Got a thing for the older ladies, Cai?"_

"_Ah, not really. She's just... old beyond her years. But then, she's always been like that."_

"_Sounds like a real catch." She tried to stop her voice from breaking as he confessed his feelings for another._

_He sighed a little. "She would be, if I ever worked up the courage to ask her out."_

"_Join the club..."_

* * *

It had been days since Kira had spoken with Tali, and she had seen no indication to suggest that she had actually told her brother. But, then again, her relationship with Tom was still on the mend. Which, of course, meant that she _really_ didn't want to keep things from him, even if they weren't hers to tell.

Which was what had now lead her to look for Tali, datapad in hand. She was still sure that her theory for why the quarian had gotten sick was more than a little on the ridiculous side, but if _Mordin_ agreed that it was worth looking into, she figured that she should do anything she could to help. But she also figured that she should maybe keep the details to herself, just until she had some hard proof.

But, for some reason, Tali was nowhere to be found. Which, of course, meant that she was in Tom's room. Or, _their_ room, Kira supposed it probably was. She hadn't seen Tali bunking anywhere else since she came on board.

Kira sighed a little as she situated herself in the mess hall. She would simply go into the room to talk to her, but the last thing she wanted to do was to mess things up if she still hadn't told Tom everything. Although she would have a few choice words for her over that.

To her disappointment, it was Tom who exited their quarters first. Kira didn't glance up from her datapad, pretending to read the information that she had already memorised, but her brother still gave her a questioning look.

"You're lurking," he told her.

"Am not."

"Yeah, you are. If you wanted to read, you would do it in your quarters, away from everyone."

"Maybe I didn't want to be antisocial."

"Kira, you used to complain that the school didn't keep the library open at breaktime because the other children playing disturbed your reading."

She sighed, finally looking up. "Fine. I was looking for Tali."

"Why?" he asked, not bothering to mask the suspicion in his tone.

"That's... I don't think that her... health issues are as bad as she's been lead to believe..."

Tom frowned. "Wait, how did you-"

"Don't worry, Tali told me herself. I am... trying to get better at respecting boundaries."

"You figure twenty eight is a good point at which to finally grow up?"

Kira shrugged. "I grew up a long time ago. I just didn't realise when you did too."

"Yeah, well, thanks for taking twelve years to figure that out." His words were equal parts jest and serious.

"Well, I am definitely under no illusions now. And I _want_ to help. Just let me."

He nodded. "You... probably need to talk to Tali about this, huh?"

"That would be best."

"Okay then."

A few moments later Tali exited their quarters alone, giving Kira a worried look as she wrung her hands together.

"Don't worry, I didn't tell him. Although, I'm not happy that you haven't yet."

"I- I know, I just... every time I start, the words won't form properly."

Kira nodded understandingly. "I... had a similar problem. But, maybe this will help." She passed Tali the datapad.

"What is it?"

"It's... I have a theory about why you got sick. Mordin would need to run tests to be sure, and... it's not going to be quick since we're making these tests up from scratch, but if I'm right... they exaggerated. Your immune system shouldn't be any worse than usual, not even with Tom. What happened should be preventable. I'm actually kind of shocked that it even happened the first time... I kind of thought you two were smarter than that."

Tali frowned. "Smarter than _what_?"

Kira shook her head. "It's just a theory. And I'd rather not say anything more until Mordin runs his tests, but let's just say that I highly doubt a kiss will kill you."

"But you'd need to run tests to be sure?"

Kira nodded. "Yeah, pretty much."

"I- thank you. And, I'll tell him now, I promise."

"You'd better," she said simply before cloaking, her gaze locked on the turian who had been hovering just within earshot.

"Tell me what?" he asked as Tali approached.

She sighed, silently cursing Kira for boxing her in like this. "Can we... talk in private?" She indicated towards his quarters.

He nodded. "Sure."

Once the door had shut behind them, she began to wring her hands together as she often did while anxious. "The, erm... Kira has a theory about why I got sick. She thinks that it might not be as severe as I was told..."

"Tali, that's great."

She nodded, cutting him off before he could say anything else. "But, erm... they told me that it was still bad because they feared it happening again. Which is also why they tried to keep me from returning to... well, to you."

He frowned. "Tali, what are you saying?"

She dropped her gaze. "It, erm... being with you now isn't risky because I got sick. I got sick because it was always risky..."

He was stunned into silence by that. "Tali, why didn't you-" he finally managed, but she cut him off abruptly.

"Because I knew that you would do this. I can see you starting to blame yourself and this _isn't your fault_."

"How can you say that, Tali? I... I can't believe that I..."

She shook her head, placing a hand over his mandible so that he would look at her, cursing the visor blocking their view of each other. "Tom, you couldn't have known. Keelah, I adapted to you faster than I ever thought possible. I've never heard of what happened to me happening to anyone else."

His subharmonics continued to make a broken whining sound, breaking her heart a little as she saw the conflict saturating his gaze. "Tali, accidental or not, I still _hurt_ you..."

"Tom, this doesn't change anything. Things are exactly the same as they were ten minutes ago."

"Tali, I can't- I can't bear the thought of you being hurt. Especially not by me..."

"Tom, I-"

He shook his head, pulling away from her. "I just... I need to... to think about this..." He left at that, leaving behind a massively confused quarian trying her best to hold back the sob that threatened to escape her at the thought that he may not come back...

* * *

"If you made her cry, I will actually beat you up."

Tom was finally pulled from his distressed thoughts by his sister as she decloaked in front of him as soon as he had entered an empty area of the ship. "Wha-"

"_Tali_, you idiot. Were you more stupid than usual?"

He growled, rounding on her. "Kira, I am not in the mood for your shit right now."

"Just as I'm not in the mood for your moronic behaviour. You have very clearly just stormed out of there after she told you. Weren't you just complaining about me not realising that you had grown up? Because this seems like the most childish response I could possibly think of."

Tom's growl became a little more feral at that, clearly showing his distress. "Then tell me Kira, what the hell should my response have been to finding out that I almost killed my amvimae?!"

She scoffed at that. "Could you ramp up the drama _any_ higher?! Tom, she's fine and I think I've figured out exactly what was wrong, so it shouldn't happen again. See? Problem solved."

"That doesn't- It still happened!"

"Yes, but she's fine about it, so why can't you be?"

"Because I _hurt her!_"

"But you're hurting her more now by just walking out!"

"Kira, don't- you don't know what you're talking about."

"Right, because it's not as if I have any kind of experience in _real_ relationships that you might be lacking."

He shook his head angrily. "That doesn't mean that you get to tell me what to do like I'm stupid or-"

"You were stupid enough to kno-" She froze, managing to stop herself before she blurted out her theory without proof. Because that was when she would tell them, she had decided. When she actually had the results in-hand to confirm her theory. "Look," she started again, more calmly, "this is why she didn't want to tell you. She didn't want you to freak out. But I _have_ a theory about why she got sick and I'm almost entirely certain that it's preventable."

He seemed to calm a little at that, although he was still clearly distressed. "Kira, even if you're certain... I can't... you just don't understand!"

"Why? Because I'm not turian?"

"_Yes!_" he exclaimed, before sighing, shaking his head. "You think... you think you know because you were raised with turians but... Hell, I didn't even comprehend until... All those times, I thought it was just how Cai was. But, Kira, it's as if my instincts are warring with themselves. The need to be with her and the need to protect her... they are equally overwhelming."

She sighed, folding her arms. "Yeah, no shit. But, as someone who has been on the _receiving_ end of those instincts, you need to _talk _with her. It... it's not like you to walk away."

"I'm not walking away... I just... Spirits, it looks like I was walking away, doesn't it?"

She nodded. "That's what I have been trying to tell you."

"Shit..." At that, he ran back towards his quarters as his sister shook her head at him.

"_Idiota_..."

* * *

_Okay, get a hold of yourself, you're freaking out unnecessarily. He probably just needs to think things through. You've had years to come to the decision that being with him is worth it, he hasn't. Just give him some space..._

Tali ran over the logical argument in her head several times as she tried her best to take deep breaths, but she knew that she was only walling off the tears temporarily, not vanquishing them for good.

She sighed a little, wishing that she could shut off her irrational fear of losing him. She was a grown woman, but she was acting like some over dramatic teenager, with her _tears_...

She hated crying. Crying was something little children did. Admirals' daughters didn't _cry_.

But sometimes Tali had envied those children for their ability to shed tears without shame.

At least her suit was cleaning up the evidence, she thought humorlessly, just as the door opened once more. She stood up, fully expecting to be told to leave. Something she quickly realised that she should have done already. She had been so upset that she had actually stayed in his quarters, when she knew that he probably no longer wanted her the-

Her thoughts were cut off by him pulling her into his arms.

"I'm an idiot," he told her softly.

"You're not an idiot," she finally managed to answer, more than a little surprised by the turn of events.

"I am," he countered softly. "I... I didn't mean to make you think... Tali, knowing that I hurt you like that... It isn't something I can just _get over_, but I trust your judgement, and I trust my sister's, so if you say that I'm not going to hurt you again, then I can live with that. I just..."

She cut him off, finally reciprocating his embrace as she reached up to the point at which his undersuit ended, finding the only exposed skin on his neck as she pulled his head down to hers in a turian-style kiss, wishing once more that the visor wasn't between them. "Please don't blame yourself. _I_ don't blame you. I never did, not even for a second, and I can't stand to see you tear yourself apart over this."

"Tali... I _hurt_ you-"

"No... No, you didn't. It was a freak accident, nothing more. A random act of biology."

He growled a little at that. "Yeah, Tali, it probably wasn't so _random_. God, I never understood why Kira was _so_ insecure about our enhancements, but now I get it. They're dangerous, no matter who has them..."

"Tom, you're not dangerous." He didn't miss the humor in her tone, making his mandible fluter, just a little, as if to smile.

"You don't know how often... How often people had to tell me that after I came into my biotics. I never realised that I had always been that way..."

She shook her head. He _never_ spoke about the first time he had used his biotics. She knew that something bad had happened, but not _what_ exactly. "Tom, I can't believe that you would ever hurt me."

"Even though I already did?"

"But now that you know, I can't believe that you would ever hurt me again."

He gave her an odd look at that. "You know, only one person's ever had that much faith in me before. I... I honestly don't know what I did to deserve you..."

"Maybe it's just the upside to you being trapped here," she joked.

"Upside? Tali, you make this whole damn mess worth it."

She laughed a little, before pausing. "So, I guess this means letting Kira and Mordin poke around to try and figure out what my father's been hiding from me."

"Wouldn't it just be easier to ring him up and ask?"

She laughed a little at that. "Because, you know, _that'll_ work."

"Or, you know, you could _demand_ answers. Might get better results than asking."

"Yeah, you can't really demand anything from an admiral..."

"Even when that admiral's your father?"

"Tom, you've _met_ my father."

"Right, okay, stupid question. But, it might be worth a try..."

She sighed, folding her arms. "I know, I know... I'll ask, but only after I hear what the repercussions might be for leaving. He might decide never to speak to me again..."

"He wouldn't... I mean, that couldn't really happen, could it?"

"Maybe, but I doubt it." Tom gave her a worried look once more that just made her sigh. "Stop worrying about me so much. I have everything I need right here."

He smiled once more, pulling her back into his embrace. "I can't help worrying; I love you."

"I love you, too... Yeah, I am never going to get used to saying that. Or hearing it..."

"Me neither."

* * *

Tom found his mother and sister in the armoury, preparing their equipment.

"Going somewhere?" he asked them.

"We'll be landing on Illium in a few minutes. We're going to pick up the Assassin," Shepard told him.

"Well, _I_ am," Kira corrected.

"Yeah, I am still not happy about this plan," Sophia replied.

"What plan?" Tom asked, folding his arms.

"Well," Kira started, "I know where the Assassin is right now. We're not supposed to meet him until later-"

"But your sister seems to think that this is all a game. She wants to meet him before we're supposed to. Which I question. Aren't you supposed to be minimising changes to the timeline?"

Kira shrugged. "This hardly counts. I mean, of all the things we've changed, this is such a small one. Plus, it makes sense. If you want an assassin, send an assassin."

Sophia raised an eyebrow. "So, you're an assassin now? I thought you were a spy. Or was it Temporal Agent?"

Kira smirked. "I... have an array of talents that have been put to various uses over the years."

Sophia turned to Tom but he just shrugged. "I never much ventured outside of the role of distraction or biotic powerhouse. Cai was usually the diplomat and engineer, and Kira? Kira was employed when the situation required... a little more finesse. Assassinations included."

"Wait, wait, wait... you guys have never mentioned assassinations before."

Kira's gaze dropped as her grip on the desk she was leaning on seemed to tighten. "I told you that we were agents that operated at a level above Spectres. What did you think that meant? Sometimes bad people need to go away... discreetly."

"I just... you two don't strike me as assassins." Kira just raised an eyebrow. "Okay, fine, maybe you did at first... but, I don't know, I just don't think of you two like that anymore."

Kira shrugged. "Doesn't change facts. I'm the best girl for the job, and I don't need a babysitter."

"Look, you could be a pirate queen for all I care, Garrus and I will keep our distance, but we will _be_ nearby in case you need reinforcements. We need to speak with Liara anyway."

Kira sighed, rolling her eyes. "_Fine_."

Sophia shook her head before leaving the room as Tom folded his arms. "Remember that time you really were a pirate queen? Or, at least, pretended to be."

His sister smirked once more. "Yeah. That was fun. I even kept the outfit."

"Yeaaaah, Cai mentioned that once. And then I had to wash the image away with a couple of litres of vodka..."

"Right, erm, sorry. I honestly don't understand how you two managed to be best friends without... talking about that stuff. Hell, he accidently told me enough stories about you to give me nightmares."

Tom narrowed his eyes. "Wait, what stories?"

"Nothing... Nothing too bad, at least. Well, I mean, there was that one about what really happened when you went all James Bond at that Casino while I hacked their systems. When I said distract the head of security, I didn't mean like _that_."

He groaned, shaking his head. "So much for the bro-code... Wait, are you and Tali going to talk about this stuff now that you're all buddy-buddy?"

"Worried that I might relay all these stories back to her? How many details does your beloved know of your sordid past?" she teased, earning her a glare from her brother.

"As many as she wants to. I'm not hiding anything from her."

Kira was a little taken aback by that admission. "_Really_? And it doesn't weird her out?"

He shrugged. "She says that it helps that none of them exist yet. Plus, she hadn't had a lot of... you know, experience- and I don't even know why I'm talking to you about this."

She smirked. "Because you don't have any guy friends any more."

"Maybe I need to get some..."

"You should. Hell, I finally have some girl friends to gossip with. Including your future bondmate."

He spluttered at that. "I- wha- how did- I don't- I mean... I... I figured I should wait a while before asking her again. Just to be sure that she still wants to. Plus, it's not as if we even can while she's still stuck in the suit..."

"Well, hopefully she'll be able to get out again if these tests confirm my theory."

"Yeah, about that... Kira, I read the stuff on the datapad but... it's _vague_, to say the least."

She gave him a blank look. "Vague? How so?"

He sighed. "Kira, don't do this. Don't give me the runaround. What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing. Like I said, this is all just speculative. _I_ only have a vague idea."

"But you won't tell me?"

She sighed, before giving him a pleading look. "Tom, whether or not I'm right, the implications are... unpleasant. I don't want to say anything until I'm sure. The last thing I want to do is stir up trouble over nothing."

"Kira, I've never known one of your hunches to not play out. Well, unless other people are involved."

She gave him a weak smile at that. "Well, I'll admit that part of my reluctance is that element... But, Tom, I _can't_ be wrong about this. Just let me make sure that I'm right."

He sighed, before nodding. "Okay then. How long will these tests take?"

She began to fidget, showing him that if it hadn't been Tali, she would be positively reveling in the challenge. "It won't be quick. There is no standard test for this, and I would like as many details as I can get my hands on. Plus, Mordin is also working on the Collector problem, so it will probably take a few weeks."

"Alright then... Thank you. For doing this."

"No problem, fratellino."

"Be careful with this assassin."

"I will. I promise."

* * *

"Well, doesn't this look fun."

Thane turned to face the young woman who had been tailing him as she decloaked. "So, you finally decide to show yourself?"

"You mean you'd caught onto me already? Mom always did say you were the best."

He frowned a little. He had very little interaction with humans, and had certainly had none with any women old enough to be her mother. "I suspect you have mistaken me for someone else."

She just smiled at that as he took note of her odd appearance. Her visor and weapons seemed more advanced than any other he had seen, and she was wearing a black outfit with blue highlights that he figured must be armoured beyond her shields, although if it was, it was more sophisticated than he had ever seen, allowing her to move silently. Only one of her hands were covered, however, which he found most curious, wondering briefly if it was simply some strange human fashion. Although, the purple tattoos across her face were certainly her oddest feature. "No," she told him, "you simply haven't met her yet." She didn't give him a chance to process that before continuing on. "So, have a plan for tackling the tower?"

"You seem to know enough about me, but I know nothing of you."

"My name's Kirayna."

"Thane. Although I suspect you already knew that. Kirayna is a turian name."

She nodded. "I know."

"So, I know your name. Hardly enough to go on."

She just smirked. "Oh, I think you know a lot more than that."

"Perhaps you are right. Although I still do not know why you are here."

She shrugged. "Curiosity mostly. Commander Shepard is leading a mission through the Omega-4 relay. She wants to recruit you, so she sent me to check you out."

He paused at the mention of Commander Shepard, recalling images he had seen of her, surprising him a little as he realised that the woman in front of him looked almost exactly like her, with just a few minor changes. He wondered briefly if this _was_ Commander Shepard, but he wasn't sure why the deceit was necessary, so he instead figured that she was perhaps a relation. "Send an assassin after the assassin?"

"My idea. She still sees me as six years old with bunches and dungarees."

_Definitely a relation_, he thought to himself. "I still have to complete this job."

"So, once again; do you have a plan for tackling the tower?"

He was not inclined to trust this woman - agents in his field of work tended not to be trustworthy - but he had to admit that he was curious. Curious enough, at least, to see how well she handled herself in a fight. "Perhaps..."

* * *

"Stop worrying," Garrus told Sophia as they headed to Liara's office.

She gave a frustrated sigh in response. "We shouldn't have let her go alone."

"Kira is more than capable of taking care of herself. She was on Omega for months before I found her, remember?"

Sophia nodded distractedly. "I know, I just... I worry. And what do we really know about this assassin, anyway?"

"Soph, she's not a little girl anymore."

"I know, I know, I just..." She sighed once more, shaking her head. "Kira made a point earlier. It seems like the more time I spend around her and her brother, the more I treat them like they're just kids, and... I'm not exactly sure why."

"Is it not just because you're closer to them now than you were before?"

She nodded, frowning a little. "Maybe... I just... I'm sure it's nothing."

"If it makes you feel any better, I've been doing the exact same thing," he admitted.

"Yeah... I don't know if it does or not..."

He touched her arm gently in a comforting manner before they entered Liara's office, only to find her in the middle of a vid-call.

"Have you faced an asari commando unit before? Few humans have." Sophia frowned. This definitely wasn't the shy little archaeologist she had worked with two years ago. And hadn't those been Benezia's words? "Shepard! Nyxeris, hold my calls."

Sophia's frown quickly turned into a smile as the asari pulled her into a crushing hug. "Hey, Liara. I've missed you."

"You too, Sopia. And for a considerably longer time, I might add."

"Yeah, being dead kind of does that."

"My sources said that you were alive, but I never believed... it's good to see you."

Sophia raised an eyebrow, her gaze clearly surveying the office. "Sources? This is quite the setup you have here. Should I be impressed or worried?" She allowed her teasing tone to make way for a little genuine concern.

"Well, I may have switched archaeology for the information business. They are remarkably similar."

"I can imagine. Just less mud and more corpses."

"Pretty much."

Sophia sighed. "I'm not really allowed to worry so much about you after being dead for two years, am I?"

"Not so much, no."

Sophia smiled at that before groaning, shaking her head. "I swear, I've gotten worse since being dead."

"To be fair, you were always pretty bad," Garrus teased.

"Laugh it up, big guy," she told him, rolling her eyes.

"But now you're back," Liara continued, "gunning for the Collectors with Cerberus."

"If you have so much information, then you must know that I could use every bit of help I can get. I miss having you on the Normandy."

Liara sighed. "I would love to but... I can't. I have commitments here. Things I need to take care of."

Sophia nodded in understanding. "Yeah. I understand. Kira hinted that might be the case. but if you ever change your mind, or need any help, you know where to call."

"I know. And thank you, Sophia. This means a lot to me. I'm glad that you're back."

* * *

"You know, if I'd known that you wanted big explosions as a distraction, I would have brought my brother. Would have saved me all this trouble," Kira told Thane over the comm as she continued to hack the newly installed building systems, not really impressed by the 'new' security measures in the systems.

"_Your brother?_"

"Yeah. He's the one who inherited Mom's biotics."

"_I wasn't aware that there were any human biotics old enough to have children your age._"

"There aren't. Tom and I don't exist. Yet."

"_I wonder if you enjoy talking without sense._"

She smirked a little at that. "I'm making perfect sense. I'm just not giving you all of the details."

"_Why is that?_"

"Because there's no way to tell someone that you're from thirty years in the future without sounding crazy."

There was a long pause over the comm before he replied. "_You're right. There's not._"

"Are you ready for the next distraction?"

"_It's already ready?_"

"Yeah, from my perspective these security systems are archaic. Just say the word."

* * *

"Okay, I'll admit, I'm impressed," Kira told him as she surveyed the pile of corpses. She had waited until he had finished his prayers, as that just seemed polite.

"As am I," he replied, before pausing once more. "This job was to be my last."

"I know. But if you wanted one last hurrah, helping to stop the abduction of multiple colonies seems like a slightly more... noble cause, than killing one asari bitch."

"Who says I am searching for nobility?"

"Call it what you will, I see a man trying to balance his sins. Am I wrong?"

He took a moment to regard her carefully before replying. Her cocksure attitude seemed to have been replaced with something all too familiar. "What I have done... cannot be rectified. However, the disappearance of your colonies _does_ concern me. Can I assume that you know of my condition?"

"Kepral's Syndrome. Yeah, I know. I told you already; I'm not from this time. Hell, I could even tell you the day you die. I won't, but I could."

"Even if you could tell me, I would not wish to know."

She nodded. "Always the best attitude to take with time travel. Although, there is probably something I should fill you in on before we return to the Normandy, to prevent any confusion since most of the crew already know. My brother and I aren't just random agents from the future. Shepard and Vakarian are our parents."

He simply nodded, having already figured that she must somehow be related to the Commander. He would question the fact that her father was turian, if not for her turian name and clan markings. "They do not know?"

Kira shook her head. "No, and we would like to keep it that way for as long as possible."

"I understand."

"You think I'm crazy, don't you?"

"I'm not ruling out the possibility."

She smirked at that. "Yeah... you know, I can't remember the point at which this all stopped seeming crazy to _me_..."

* * *

Commander Shepard had to admit that Kira had done well on her mission, as the assassin sharing the lift with her on the way down to the crew deck proved, but she still wasn't happy about her going alone.

"You seem preoccupied," Thane commented, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Oh! Ah... well, I'm not entirely happy about letting crew members go on missions alone," she admitted.

"So, why did you allow Kirayna to go alone?"

She frowned a little. "Kirayna? Has she finally stopped shortening her name? Anyway, she's used to working alone and I'm trying to be less... overprotective, I guess. I tend to get... maternal with the younger crew members. Or so I'm told."

"That's understandable. Especially where Kirayna and her brother are concerned."

"I guess, but it's still not the best way for a military commander to operate. And probably not the best way for me to be introducing myself to a new team member. Should have probably started with: 'hey, I'm Commander Shepard, widely regarded as the hero of the First Contact War,' or something."

"Clearly it is a leadership style that suits you well."

She shrugged. "I suppose. So... how much did Kira mention about... well, the... _unique_ circumstances on board the ship?"

"He told me that she and her brother are from the future."

"Yeah, I am _well_ aware of crazy that sounds but there has been _plenty_ of evidence to support it."

He nodded. "I will admit that it is no longer so... far-fetched as it first appeared."

"Did she also fill you in on the whole 'humans working with turians' situation?"

"Yes. It is not a problem, although I have to admit that I am intrigued by the idea of a human falling in love with a turian."

Sophia grimaced a little at that. "I see that Kira is still as impertinent as ever... Never mind. It's not as if we hide our relationship. At least, not very well."

"I simply found it curious," he admitted as they finally arrived at the crew deck.

"Is that why you're here? Curiosity?"

"Perhaps. And a chance to do something good."

"Curiosity and a chance to do something good... I can think of worse motivations..."


	25. Chapter 25

**AN: Okay, this chapter _was_ longer, but then I didn't like it and ended up cutting out about 2k, so it's a short chapter this week, unfortunately.**

**Thanks to everyone who reads, with special thanks to those of you who follow/favourite, and super-special, rainbow thanks to DeltaAgent, Laufeyson'sWife, barbex and Horrorclown for the awesome reviews!**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**C****hapter 25 - Nuclear Wessels**

"_Kira?"_

_Her head jerked upwards at his gentle tone. If her nerves hadn't been clear before, they were now. "Yeah?" Her voice was breathless, a combination of nerves and how worked up she already was from their heated kisses, their shirts already lying discarded on the floor._

_He brought his hand up to her cheek, stroking gently as his subharmonics trilled the odd combination of both nerves and reassurance. "We don't have to do this if you don't want to..."_

"_No, I- I want to. Unless... I mean, you sound pretty nervous too..."_

_He nodded. "Yeah, but... I still want to-"_

"_Me too."_

"_Okay then..."_

_She quickly decided that the fastest way to end the awkward dialogue was to press her lips to his, a move which he quickly reciprocated. He had never thought much about kissing, other than through idle curiosity, before the day she had been let out of the medbay, immediately coming to see him to tell him that she understood that what he said had probably just been because she had been hurt and that she was allowing him to take it back._

_The moment he had told her that she was being ridiculous, that was the first time she had kissed him. Seconds later she had been pulling away, apologising for her ineptitude, admitting that she had never kissed anyone before._

_But he hadn't noticed. It had been Kira, __**his **__Kira, and she had been kissing him._

_Also, he was turian and had never kissed anyone himself, nor knew even vaguely what it was __**supposed**__ to feel like, but he figured that sounded a little less romantic than simply having been happy that it was __**her**__ kissing him._

"_You seem distracted," she murmured into the skin of his neck as she trailed kisses downwards._

"_Just thinking about the first time you kissed me."_

"_You don't think this will be as bad as that, do you?"_

"_I didn't think that it was bad."_

"_Well... okay then..." She decided, once more, that kissing was probably a better idea than talking._

"_Kira," he halted her again as she explored his torso with her mouth._

"_Yeah?" she replied softly, catching his breath in his throat as her brilliant blue eyes met his._

"_I... erm, Kira, I just wanted to say..." He took a deep breath before continuing. "Kira, when I look in your eyes and you're looking back in mine, everything feels not quite normal. I feel stronger and weaker at the same time. I feel excited and, at the same time, terrified. The truth is, I don't know what I feel, except I know what kind of man I want to be."_

_Her heart melted more than a little at his words, before something clicked in the back of her mind, telling her that those words were very familiar. "Cai... was that from that really old Spiderman movie?"_

"_I, erm... I don't..."_

_She sighed a little. "Did Tom tell you to say that?"_

"_He... might have helped a little."_

_She shook her head. "That's one of his favourite movies. And one of the ones I __**really**__ hate."_

"_I'm sorry, I... I fucked up, didn't I?"_

_She just smiled in response. "No, you didn't fuck up. You just probably shouldn't be going to Tom for romantic advice."_

"_I'm sorry, I just... Kira, I am never lost for words, but when I'm around you... it's as if all of my skills of diplomacy fail me and I turn into a bumbling wreck... You deserve something better than me tripping over myself as I try to tell you that I love you."_

_She responded instantly by pressing her mouth to his once more, moving around so that she was straddling him, his hands moving to her back to bring her torso flush with his own._

"_**That**__," she finally said as she pulled away, "was __**exactly**__ the right thing to say, amore mio..."_

* * *

"Aww," Kasumi sighed as Kira finished her story, "that is the sweetest thing ever."

Jack simply shook her head. "Doesn't count."

"What do you mean it doesn't count?" Kira exclaimed as she took another swig of her drink.

"You left out all of the important details," she countered.

Tali nodded. "She has a point."

Kira simply rolled her eyes, to which Jack snorted. "That's code for he was finished in less than a minute."

"Is not!" Kira argued. "He managed quite well, considering."

"Bullshit."

Kira shrugged. "It's true. I mean, we'd done other stuff before so-"

"Well then it wasn't your first time."

"It was! Or do you need me to get you a dictionary? It's not my fault you want awkwardness."

"Two virgins going at it? How is that _not_ awkward?"

Kira smirked. "I never said it wasn't awkward at times. I just said that he wasn't as... quick as one might think."

"Did he get you off?"

"Yeah."

"Had he got you off before?"

"Yeah, but never actually with his cock. Well, I mean... not, you know, _in me_." She immediately took another drink to wash away her embarrassment. She wasn't used to talking about this stuff so openly, but she had to admit that it was nice. Although she took a little solace in the fact that Tali seemed just as embarrassed.

"Okay, okay, fair enough. So, whose turn is it next?"

Kasumi raised her hand, pointing it towards Tali and making odd squeaking noises as she finished her drink. "Tali's next," she finally said as she lowered her beer. "We've been going clockwise so it's Tali then Jack."

Kira just shook her head vehemently. "If it was my brother, then I have to veto."

"Well, if you mean under the suit stuff, then yeah," the quarian replied.

Kasumi raised an eyebrow, leaning forward. "And if we mean _over_ the suit stuff..."

Tali sighed, slumping in her chair a little. "Then... it's still Tom. I just didn't want to sound like I'd been a complete loser."

"So, wait, you hadn't done anything with anyone before Tom?" Jack asked, incredulously. "How old were you when you two met?"

"I'd... just turned twenty two..."

"That's not so bad," Kira assured her. "Despite what teen dramas have indoctrinated us to believe, lots of girls don't get boyfriends until they're grown up."

"Weren't you just telling us how you lost your virginity at sixteen?" Jack argued.

"Yes, to the only man I ever dated."

"Wait, you haven't been with anyone since your husband?"

Kira froze a little at that. "Weren't we talking about Tali? I've already had my turn!"

Kasumi nodded. "Yes, we can pester Kira about her lack of action after we figure out just why Tali went for so long without a boyfriend."

"Like Kira said; it's no big deal."

Kasumi frowned. "Tali, you're positively adorable. _How_ have you not had a boyfriend before now?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I've always just been... quiet and shy."

"I bet they were intimidated by how smart you are," Kira told her sincerely.

"I always thought that was the kind of bullshit they told nerdy kids to make them feel better," Jack countered, narrowing her eyes.

Kira rolled her own in reply. "It's not bullshit if those nerdy kids in particular are Tali and I."

"Loving the modesty," Kasumi commented.

Kira just shrugged. "It has been scientifically proven that I am hot. But, bar a couple of drunken encounters that _really_ don't count, no guy paid me the slightest bit of attention until Caius. Or, if they did, I was completely oblivious to it."

"Wait, why do they not count?" Jack asked. "Drunk sex is still sex."

"Woah! Who said anything about sex? I'm talking about bad passes made shortly before failed attempts to grope, followed by them spewing up or passing out. Hardly conducive to a girl's self esteem."

Tali sighed. "That's still more than I ever got. Being shy coupled with the stupidly restrictive rules of my father meant that the closest I ever got before Tom was romance novels."

"And your nervestim program?" Kira supplied.

Tali seemed to blush beneath the mask at that. "No comment."

Jack snorted. "That's a yes."

"So, how long did it take for you to rip the suit off after you two started dating?" Kasumi asked cheekily.

Kira shook her head. "Lalala... I'm not listening... lalala..."

"Actually, he was really reluctant once he found out that I was a virgin. Something about how his first time was really crappy."

Kira narrowed her eyes a little. "Okay, I'll admit, that was always a mystery to me. The first shoreleave after Cai and I started dating, we went to the Citadel to... spend some time together, as evidenced by my story. We didn't see Tom again until a few weeks later and he had already screwed half the ship by that poin- and you probably don't want to be hearing this about your... boyfriend?"

Tali shrugged. "He's told me most of this anyway. And... yeah, I guess boyfriend covers it."

"Would you prefer 'lover'?" Kasumi joked.

"So, wait," Jack interjected, "you're telling me that you're really okay with knowing that your man fucked half the galaxy before you got together?"

Tali shrugged once more. "I guess... I mean, they're all just stories to me. It's not as if he's been with anyone else since we got together. Or, since we met, for that matter."

"That seems... far too sensible. I was hoping for a little more possessive rage," Kasumi admitted.

"I... well, I mean, if anyone tries to make a move on him _now_, they'll quickly find my shotgun in their face but, so far, that hasn't happened."

"Just give it time," Kira answered, at which point Kasumi rounded on her once more.

"I think Tali's turn is up. Back to Kira."

"Hey! No, we're going clockwise, remember?"

"This is the lightning round."

"Does the lightning round have different drinking rules?" Jack asked.

Kira simply frowned. "There were drinking rules to this game? I thought it was just 'drink until the embarrassment goes away'..."

"That _is_ the rule," Kasumi clarified. "Now, embarrassing question for you; have you really not had _any_ action since you came to the past?"

Kira shrugged. "Define 'action'."

"Have you fucked someone?" Jack interjected.

"I... No..." Kira admitted reluctantly.

"Have you kissed someone?" Kasumi corrected.

"I, erm... one guy. Once."

Tali gave her a questioning look at that. "Wait, _who_?"

"Tom didn't tell you?"

"No, who'd you kiss?"

Kira sighed, slumping in her chair a little. "It, erm... it was Nihlus..."

"_Nihlus_?!"

"Wait, who's Nihlus?" Kasumi asked.

It was Tali who answered her. "The turian Spectre who was with us on the SR1. I'm actually not sure why he's not here now..."

"Oh, wait, is this the turian you were talking to on the Citadel?" Kasumi took Kira's silence as an admission. "Kira told him not to join up," she informed the others.

"Why not?" Tali asked.

"Look, I just... When I saw him again, I realised that, despite how stupid it sounds, I still have feelings for him. A lot of them. But he doesn't return them, so he would have only served as a distraction..."

"Aw, but you two would be so good together," Tali argued. Kira simply remained silent, her gaze fixed to her drink.

"Ah," Kasumi said as she realised what was bothering the other woman. "It's nearly finished, isn't it?"

Kira nodded. "Yeah. All I'm lacking is a power source... Anyway, let's get back to the game."

Kasumi nodded, allowing the change of subject for once. "You know, maybe we should include Shepard in our girls' night next time..."

Kira groaned. "Come on guys, this is one of the few times I don't have to be careful with what I say."

"It's kind of mean to leave her out, though," Kasumi countered.

Kira sighed. "Fine... you're right. I just... let's not play _this_ game next time.

"No promises."

"I hate you guys..."

* * *

"Are you responsible for Drunk Tali last night?" Tom asked his sister as she sat in the mess hall, eating her breakfast.

"'Drunk Tali'?"

"It's quite possibly one of the most adorable things ever. She woke me up, rambling about... I think it was hats or something, only to then pass out on me."

"Yeah... We were having a girls' night. I think she might have had a little too much to drink..."

Tom shook his head, about to respond, when Shepard walked in, hands on her hips, frowning as she surveyed the room. "Where is everyone?"

"Define everyone," Kira replied.

"Well, I can't find Jack. It looks like the turians have managed to disable a Collector ship and I wanted to bring her along while we go and sort it out."

Kira's head jerked up at that. "The Collector ship? Mind if I tag along?"

"Well, if I can't find Jack, I guess so..."

"And Tali?"

Tom frowned at that. "Why do you want Tali to tag along?"

Kira shrugged. "I just think that her technical expertise will come in handy..."

"No, the real reason."

"Female bonding..."

"The _real_ reason."

Kira sighed. "Tom, don't be an overprotective boyfriend."

He narrowed his eyes, but nodded in agreement. "Fine, don't tell me if you don't want to. But she might be too hungover, so don't pester her if she says no."

"_I_ haven't said yes, yet," their mother interjected.

Kira turned to give her the puppy-dog eyes that almost had Tom in tears with laughter. "_Please_. I'm trying really hard to get to know my future sister-in-law."

Tom choked a little at the implication. "Stop saying that!"

"Why?" Kira asked, keeping her features completely innocently blank.

Tom sighed. "How about you let _me_ decide when I should bond with my girlfriend."

"I'm not telling you that you should right _now_, I'm just saying that you will," she explained. "But, for the record, I don't understand what you're waiting for."

"Again, I can't bond with her while she's in the suit."

"Yeah, I keep forgetting that. Don't worry, I'm on it."

Shepard interrupted them again at that point. "If Tali's up to it, then fine, you two can accompany Garrus and I. If not, then you're up, Tom. I want to be in and out, so I don't want more than four of us."

"Okay, I'll ask her now," Kira told them, about to run off to Tom's quarters, before he stopped her.

"Wait... is this the... well, the, erm... the Ackbar ship?"

Kira frowned in confusion before realising what he meant. "Could you be a bigger nerd right now? And, yes, it is."

"So, are we going to tell her?"

"Tell me what?" Shepard asked, folding her arms.

"It's a trap," Kira told her.

"A trap? Wait, okay, _Ackbar_ ship. That makes sense now," she told them, before frowning. "So, what kind of trap?"

Kira shrugged. "The turian signal is fake. They're playing dead."

"Ah. Okay... well that... There's not much we can do, is there?"

Kira shook her head. "We still need that data."

"Okay, well, same plan. We get in and out as quickly as possible."

"Okay, sounds good," Kira replied brightly before bounding off to Tom and Tali's quarters.

Sophia frowned, turning to Tom. "Does she seem... more _energetic_ to you?"

Tom nodded. "Yeah... Something's definitely off."

* * *

Tali groaned as the door to their quarters opened again, wishing that Tom would just leave her to sleep off her headache. She knew that she had work to do in engineering, but it was nothing urgent.

"Come on, sorellina. Get up!"

Tali frowned turning over to face Kira. "Grhm... Go away..."

Kira simply rolled her eyes at her. "Come on. Mom needs us for a mission."

Tali's frown deepened at that. "I thought you were avoiding calling her 'mom'..."

"Look, do you want to shoot some Collectors or not?"

"You're not going to leave me alone unless I agree, are you?"

"Nope."

The quarian sighed, sitting up, only to groan once more as her headache seemed to hit her even harder. She hated tweaking her suit settings to deal with hangovers (mostly because she'd always forget to change them back), but she figured that she had little choice.

"Fine, fine. I'm up. Happy?"

"Very. Now, I need your help with something once we get there."

Tali frowned at the odd request as her suit began to pump her full of painkillers, relieving her headache. "What do you need?"

"There's a piece of equipment that's vital to some work that Mordin and I have been doing. It's a device. I was the one who drew up the plans and I incorporated a power source that I didn't realise had been a technology we had gotten from the Collectors."

"So you need me to help you retrieve one of their power sources?"

"Yeah. Pretty much."

"Does Sophia know?"

Kira shook her head. "No... I guess not. I just... I can't be sure that she'll understand how vital this is."

"How vital _what_ is? What is this device, Kira?"

Kira sighed, sitting down next to the quarian. "It's... a window. A window back home."

Tali frowned. "I thought that it was too dangerous for you to go back."

Kira nodded. "It is. I won't actually be _physically_ there. It'll just be a projection. A way to say goodbye."

"I... I think I understand."

"So, you'll help?"

"Yes, I'll help."

"Thank you, sorellina. You're the best."

* * *

"Do you think we could have a mission where we don't almost get blown up?" Sophia huffed as they returned to the Normandy.

"It's the 'Shepard' element," Garrus told her softly, as he drew her into his arms, feeling the need to have her close after such a narrow escape.

"It certainly seems to be," she replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and yell at TIM."

"I thought you weren't yelling at him," Kira countered.

"Yeah, well, he deserves it this time."

Kira just smirked as her parents left the room, just as Tali turned to her. "Will it work?"

Kira's expression sobered as she nodded. "Yeah, it should work just fine..."

Tali placed her hand on Kira's arm in a comforting manner, earning her a slightly confused look. "Kira, you don't have to do this."

Kira sighed, shaking her head as she pulled away. "Can you- could you please ask Tom to meet me in Mordin's lab in the next half hour?"

Tali simply nodded in agreement as she handed over the power source, hoping that Kira knew what she was doing.

* * *

"Kira?" Tom asked as he entered the medbay, only to see his sister setting up a device that looked... more than a little frightening. It looked as if it had been hacked together with no care for aesthetics, and if he didn't know better, he would have been sure that it looked as if it was meant to be fitted around a person's head. But not even Kira would be that insane, he figured.

"Hey, Tom," she replied, not looking up from her work.

"What is all this?"

"It's... a doorway of sorts."

His subharmonics immediately began to trill with disapproval as he realised what she was saying. "Kira, I thought we were in agreement about this; it's too dangerous to go back."

"No, no, no. It's not _going_ back. At least, not permanently. Or, actually, at all. _I_ won't actually be there. Or, you won't. That's actually why I asked you here."

He placed his hands on her shoulders, halting her rambling. "Kira, you can start making sense at any point."

She rolled her eyes at him. "This device allows you to project a mental image of yourself into another universe. Or timeline."

He paused, giving her a disbelieving look. "Wait, so, we could... go _back_?"

"Only temporarily and... it's a one-time trip. Only one of us could make it. Which is why I asked you down here."

Tom paused as he realised what she was saying. _It could only be one of them_. Only one of them could say goodbye, to their parents and his best friend.

Her husband.

"Kira," he started, "it should be you."

"Tom, don't just say that because-"

"No, listen to me. Kira, we both had to leave that life behind, but I've found a new life here. I don't want to be so blunt, but you... have been struggling. You may not admit it; you may even think that Omega was a step forward but, honestly? I think you're still trying to find a place here and the lingering issues of leaving everything behind aren't helping. You need this more than I do, even if you don't want to admit it."

"Holding no punches are we?"

"Just... being honest with you."

She nodded before wrapping her arms around him. "I know that I don't say this nearly enough, but you are the best twin brother a girl could ask for."

He laughed a little at that. "You're right. You don't say it often enough," he joked as she pulled away. "So, how long until you're ready to use this thing?"

"Well, now is as good a time as any, I guess."

He frowned as he eyed the contraption once more. "So, how exactly is this going to work?"

Mordin moved over to them to answer. "Device will project a mental image into the other timeline. It will appear real to everyone there, but will only be anchored by their minds."

Tom frowned. "Wait, what?"

"_I_ won't really be there," Kira explained, "they will just think that I am."

Mordin nodded in agreement. "Will require someone to already be thinking of her."

"So, I should show up not long after we left. I'll explain what happened and I'll let Cai know that... well, that he can move on."

"Okay then," Tom agreed, "sounds like a plan. Just... tell everyone bye from me? And that I love them?"

"Of course," she assured him softly, as she lay down on the examination table and Mordin started to strap her into the device.

Tom had been right; it did go on her head.

"Mordin, are there any dangers in this?" he asked.

"A few. Kira has already consented."

"What do you mean 'a few'?"

"Tom," his sister said, drawing his attention, "it'll be fine, okay? I promise."

He nodded as Mordin finished his work, finally moving over to the control panel. "Activating in five..."

The world began to blur in the edges of her vision.

"...four..."

The colour quickly drained as she lost the feeling in her limbs.

"...three..."

The world faded to black...

"...two..."

"...one..."

* * *

Tom quickly decided that the waiting was unbearable. Kira would occasionally twitch, but gave no other indication of what was happening. Mordin appeared too wrapped up in the data appearing on the monitors to give him any reassurance that his sister was okay, but Tom simply took his silence as a sign that everything was going as planned.

Although, he found it more than a little unnerving to be in the same room as both Mordin and Kira, and to be in complete silence.

He was quickly pulled from his worried thoughts by the sound of Kira gasping, drawing his attention back to her. He was surprised to see tracks of tears down her cheeks, wondering when they had occurred as his sister bolted upright with little regard for the machinery she was attached to.

"Kira, are you okay?" he asked, placing his hands on her arms to keep her still so that she wouldn't hurt herself. She seemed to begin to shake her head, before she turned so that her gaze was locked with his, noting her brother's worry. She paused before nodding mutely, although he didn't believe it for a moment. "What happened?" he asked softly, loosening his grip on her arms so that she could begin to tear away at the wires Mordin had attached to her.

"It didn't work," she answered shortly. He couldn't figure out if he was hearing anger or pain in her subharmonics, but he did know one thing.

She was lying to him.

It was just like his sister to lie, but not like this. Never _badly_. It made him wonder what exactly had happened to make her lie to him like that.

"Kira-" he started, but was cut off by her shutting the door in his face as she fled the lab.

He turned to the salarian, who had returned to his work. "Mordin, do you have any idea of what actually happened?"

"No. Everything as expected on this end."

"So then, what happened on her end…?"


	26. Chapter 26

**AN: Only a short chapter this week. Sorry!**

**Honestly, this should have been the end of last chapter. They would have worked better separately before I made the last-minute changes to the last chapter, but it reads better for them.**

**I hope...**

**I'm super busy right now so I don't know when the next chapter will be up. It's super important plot-wise, so I don't want to rush it. Plus, I think it'll be long as well.**

******I also wanted to say thank you guys so much (I know I always do, but this is, like, a special thank you) for all of your feedback and just generally for how positive you've all been about this story. LTTA now has the most reviews of any story I've ever posted, so thanks to everyone who reads, with special thanks to those of you who follow/favourite, and ultra, seahorse-dreams-tastic thanks to ********Horrorclown,** DeltaAgent, Laufeyson'sWife, Zombie Pixel, Guest (don't know who you are, but thank you still!), Eljay and battybiologist for the awesome reviews!

******Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 26 - They're Just Laughing at Your Face, Kryten. Nothing to Worry About. Back in the 21st Century, They Used to Laugh at Freaks All the Time. They Used to Have TV Shows on Saturday Nights Where They'd Get Out All the Freaks, Make Them Sing and Dance, Then Point and Laugh at Them. Simple People, Simple Tastes.**

_Kira frowned, focusing all of her concentration, but she couldn't do it._

_She was stuck in a limbo state, here but not._

_And her love stood in front of her, his subharmonics keening with loss as his gaze remained fixed on the small memorial._

* * *

Kira didn't know where she was heading, she just knew that she had to get out. She couldn't think. She felt as if her mind's higher functions had simply shut down, with no real thoughts appearing except the question of why she was crying, and the need to escape.

Quite frankly, she had no idea how she was managing to put one foot in front of the other.

The ship felt too small; the corridors closing in on her as some small part of her mind managed to inform her that she had just subjected herself to something that was untested, so she probably needed more time to recover, but she couldn't bring herself to sit still in the lab while Mordin and Tom worried over her.

She had to get out.

Before she could even begin to process anything, she found herself confronted by a very angry Shepard, glaring at her.

"Kira, you had better have a_ damn_ good reason for bringing Collector technology on board _my _ship, and activating it, _without_ my permission."

Kira didn't have a response for her. She was right; it was stupid and reckless and… and she couldn't concentrate on anything other than the flashes of memory from her time on the other side that just wouldn't remain coherent in her mind. Instead, the memories came in pieces, slowly explaining the tsunami of emotion that quickly bubbled to the surface, destroying her unnatural calm.

Her silence only seemed to anger her mother, whose biotics had begun to flicker just a little. Kira barely registered as she did a double-take before frowning with concern at her daughter. "Kira, what's wrong?"

Kira simply shook her head. "You're right. I shouldn't have done it. I'm sorry," was all she managed to say before fleeing the room as fast as she could, unsure of where exactly she was heading.

* * *

_He was older, that much she could tell for certain. Maybe ten years, but… he looked worn down. Something all too familiar to her._

"_Cai…" she tried to reach him, but her voice was lost on the wind._

_Nothing more than a ghost._

"_Hey." His attention was drawn, instead, by another voice. One belonging to a silver-haired, older woman, who was also more than a little familiar._

_Her mother._

"_Thank you," Caius told her. "For doing this for me."_

_Her mother simply shook her head sadly. "Don't thank me, yet…"_

"_So then-"_

_She cut him off, folding her arms as she fixed him with a stern look. "Stop that right now," she told him sharply, "this isn't the curse you turians seem to think it is."_

"_I __**know**__ that," Caius countered heatedly. "Better than most… but, still, I know that it won't be easy for him."_

"_Caius… have you spoken to your- to his mother about this? About what you would do if he __**did**__ have any biotic potential?"_

_Cai sighed, shaking his head. "She's been avoiding the topic. She has the same attitude towards biotics that… well, that most other turians have." Her mother remained silent at that, seemingly having few words to console him, as her gaze drifted behind him to the memorial for her two children. Caius followed her gaze, before looking a little sheepish. "I guess… this all just… made me miss them… I'm sorry if this is weird for you to help me with…"_

_Her mother simply shrugged. "It's been ten years, Caius. You're allowed to move on. I think she'd just be happy to know that you were happy."_

_He gave her a weak smile, as if questioning if he really __**was**__ happy, when they heard the screech of a small turian, maybe eight or nine._

"_Dad!" the small child cried before running up to Caius, who responded by sweeping him up into his arms, the small look of doubt instantly wiped away as his face lit up._

"_Hey there, little one. Ready to go home?" The child nodded enthusiastically as his father turned back to Sophia and Garrus, who had arrived with the child. "Thank you, again."_

_Sophia nodded, giving him a warm smile. "No problem."_

_As soon as Caius and his son had left, Sophia seemed to deflate a little, sighing. Her bondmate passed her a bar of chocolate that he had, apparently, gotten earlier._

"_You look like you need it," he told her. She simply nodded in response. "The dreams again?"_

_She nodded once more. "Yeah… I just… are we doing the right thing? By not telling him the truth?"_

* * *

The stories Thane had been told since coming aboard the Normandy were bizarre, to say the least. Especially any concerning Kira and Tom. Normally he would have avoided the rest of the crew, favouring solitude, but Shepard – or _Sophia_, as she insisted on being called, despite the fact that very few did – seemed intent on having the whole crew work as one big, happy family.

He would have questioned that – especially with so many different species on board – if she hadn't managed it back on the SR1.

Besides, he _was _curious about how the situation between her and Vakarian would play out, as were most of the crew, from what he could gather. Everyone was waiting for that moment when they realised that the twin agents from the future were their children with equal parts anticipation and trepidation. No one was sure how the Commander or the Spectre would react.

Thanks to the crew's propensity for gossip, he knew all about how the twins had left their lives behind, including the third member of their squad; Kira's husband.

He figured that went a long way to explaining the all-too-familiar darkness that seemed to plague her.

So, when Kira ran off the ship mere moments after they had redocked on Illium, he indulged his curiosity by following her. Everyone else seemed to decide that she needed her space to work through whatever had bothered her, so he would keep his distance, he decided, as he kept an eye on the bar at which she had been situated for the past hour.

"What's eating you, kid?" the asari bartender asked her.

Kira snorted into her drink. "It would take far too long to explain…"

"In my experience, only one thing would make someone hit the bottle like that."

"Oh yeah, and what would that be?"

"_Love_."

Kira let out another snort that sounded a little too much like a strangled sob. "Yeah…"

"So, your lover left you?"

"My bondmate," she clarified, earning her a confused look from the asari as she noted the young woman's markings.

"I didn't know that there were any human-turian couples."

Kira simply shrugged. "Tend to keep it quiet for obvious reasons, but they do exist."

"Turians bond for life. I've never known one to break that commitment."

Kira gave another half-sob, half-laugh. "He thought I was dead… had every reason to believe it… I don't blame him for moving on but…" The bartender just gave her a sympathetic smile before turning away as Kira turned on her barstool, locking eyes with Thane. "I should have known Mom would send someone eventually…"

He shook his head as he walked up to occupy the stool next her. "Your mother didn't send me. Everyone is worried, but unsure of how to proceed."

"So, you decided that all I needed was a friendly chat, huh?"

"No. I simply thought to put everyone at ease by making sure that you didn't get into trouble. Illium is a dangerous place."

She gave a real laugh at that, although it sounded bitter. "Even if I drank my weight in pure ethanol, I'd still be able to fight."

"You would probably be dead."

She shook her head. "Nope. Benefit of… nanobots? Nanoprobes? Nanites? Whatever… It doesn't matter what they're called. All that matters is that I gave up something that mattered for them without thinking, and I paid the price."

"What did you give up?"

"My freedom." She sighed into her drink, before downing it. "And, of course, that meant that I had signed away his as well… Hell, even Tom would never leave me to face the consequences on my own."

"Just as you did not abandon him when he was faced with his emerging biotics."

She shook her head, dismissing his point with the gesture. "Tom didn't have a choice, _I_ did. It's not the same thing."

"Kirayna, perhaps if you would tell me what prompted this-"

She cut him off with a short, sharp laugh. "Why can't people just leave me to my grief? Is that too much to ask?"

He simply shrugged. "It is in the nature of people to seek comfort in others."

"Oh yeah? And how many people have you spoken to about your wife since she passed?" Her face fell, as if she instantly regretted the comment. "I'm sorry. That was cruel of me. I shouldn't... If I know things from the future, I should just keep my spirits damned mouth shut."

"I should not have pushed like that," he reasoned, "you clearly do not wish to talk about it."

She nodded, silently returning to her drink. Although, despite her earlier protests, the silence did not last long. "It's just... I had suspected... that he would be happier without me. It was just hard to see it..."

"How did you see it?"

"I... I built a device that would let me go back. Just for long enough to explain what had happened. To say goodbye. But... it only worked partially. I could _see_, but I couldn't interact with the world."

"And he thought that you had died?"

She nodded. "He rebonded, settled down, had children... everything he wanted when we were together. And now he has it."

"Just not with you?"

She shook her head. "He could never have had it with me. I had always known that I was hurting him... it's just... so difficult to see it _so_ clearly. He is so much better off without me in his life..."

"Kirayna, how much did you see, exactly?"

"Enough."

"But was it simply a snapshot? And even if it wasn't, are you sure you aren't colouring what you saw with your own perceptions? If he couldn't tell you how he felt, how could you know?"

Her gaze dropped as she shrugged. "Trust me, it was enough... All this has done is confirm what I've known for a very long time; I do nothing but hurt those I care about."

"I cannot believe that to be true."

"Believe what you will; it doesn't change the evidence... Regardless, I'm sure Mom's getting worried. And I should probably apologise for using the Collector tech again."

"Kirayna-"

She shook her head, before giving him the best smile she could manage, surprising him with its sincerity. "It's okay. Really. I'm done feeling sorry for myself, I just needed a little time to think things through."

* * *

"_You think that we're not?"_

"_I think we learnt the hard way the consequences of keeping secrets. Especially where the twins are concerned."_

_Her father sighed, before shaking his head. "Soph, it took us so long to confirm what had happened… he had already moved on and rebonded. These circumstances are unprecedented and… it's better like this. For everyone. The Council is right to keep what happened under wraps. Pretending time-travel doesn't __**really**__ work, and is simply dangerous, will stop anything like this from happening again."_

_She nodded in understanding, although her gaze was fixed to the floor. "I know. I just… I know how Kira struggles with it. She's told me as much. Or, you know, the __**other**__ me."_

"_Telling him now wouldn't be kind."_

"_I… I know."_

"_So, what was your dream about last night?"_

"_Actually, it was the first time I met Thee…"_

_Kira's mind was swirling with all of the information she was being presented with as she confronted with the newly familiar feel of the world dissolving around her before she could even begin to piece together what she was feeling…_

* * *

"Hey, any news on Kira?" Tom asked his mother as she answered her messages on the terminal by the galaxy map.

"Do you ever get tired of asking that?" she asked in reply, not lifting her gaze from the screen.

He smiled a little at that. "No more than she does about me, I'm sure."

"Fair enough. And, no, I haven't." She sighed, finally turning to face him as she rubbed her eyes, tiredly. "I thought we were past this. Since the thing with her nano... whatevers, she's been... well, happier, I guess."

Tom nodded. "It's... She has been. Truly. But we needed to make sure that we got _some_ kind of message to our own timeline. I just... don't know what happened. But, please, when she comes back, cut her some slack. Whatever happened, however this went down, I can't think of an eventuality that... well, wouldn't have upset her."

"Tom, I can't excuse your sister every time she forgets that she's part of a crew simply because she has personal issues-"

"_Please. _I... I don't think personal issues will be a problem after this-"

He was cut off by Kira returning to the ship, all evidence of her prior distress missing from her features. She walked over to them, as if nothing had happened, although she did look more than a little apologetic as she approached their mother, bowing her head a little. "I... I wanted to apologise again for the misuse of Collector technology."

Sophia sighed, folding her arms. "Kira, if you had only told me why you needed it, I would have gladly allowed it."

Kira nodded. "I know, but I couldn't take that chance."

"Did you get what you wanted?"

Kira bit her lip a little. "Not- Not exactly. But it was enough. Our parents and the Council figured out what had happened to us, so, thankfully, there was no real reason for a message from us."

Tom frowned, stepping towards his sister. "Kira, what exactly happened?"

She shrugged. "I could observe, but I couldn't interact."

He paused for a moment as he thought back over what she had just said. "What about Cai? Does he know the truth?"

Kira shook her head. "It's better that he doesn't. He's happy, he doesn't need to be plagued by ghosts of the past."

"Are you... okay?"

She frowned a little, before nodding. "Yeah... oddly enough, I am..."

"Well, if you're okay then get yourself down to the armoury," Sophia told her, "I need your help to get this Justicar..."


	27. Chapter 27

**AN: Okay, so you know what I said about this chapter taking forever? Well, I've been planning this chapter since day one of this fic, so I had finished it on Wednesday. I didn't upload it because I was anxious about whether or not it was any good.**

**But, sober me liked it, with very few changes, for days, and drunk me likes it tonight with just a couple of little tweaks, so it _might_ be good to go.**

**Or, at least, it's as good as it's going to get.**

**So, I'm uploading now before sober me chickens out in the morning. Enjoy the extra three hours!**

**If there are any spelling mistakes, it's Drunk Cat's fault.**

**Thanks, as always, go out to everyone who reads this fic, with special thanks to everyone who follows/favs, and cyber-hugs for Spectre8, Laufeyson'sWife, Horrorclown and barbex for the awesome reviews. (You're lucky I'm drunk, normally I don't give hugs, cyber or otherwise :D ).**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Message from Drunk Cat: I am Catbug.**

* * *

**Chapter 27 - ****And Say What? 'Hi, We're the Ghosts of Grandchildren Future'? Come On, Even Grams Is Going to Have a Little Trouble With That.**

_Sophia sighed tiredly, resting her head in her hands as she leaned back against the wall of the corridor, her thoughts firmly on her two children as they both lay in very different parts of the hospital._

"_Hey, how is she?" her husband asked as he approached._

"_She asked about him. It was the first thing she said when she woke up; 'where's Tom?'" Sophia sighed once more, folding her arms._

"_What did you tell her?"_

"_The truth. That Tom was the reason she was in here, that __**he**__ was responsible for her scars, and do you know what she said? She responded by pleading for him. She made me promise that we would do our best to bring him back home... Garrus, please tell me he's okay."_

_Her bondmate pulled her into his arms at that, sensing how hard it was for her to maintain her facade of calm as she failed to hide the crack in her voice. "He hasn't woken yet. He's still exhausted. The doctors are debating whether or not to put an implant in. Clearly he needs one, but they're worried, given how young he is."_

"_But will they let him come home?"_

_He sighed, looking a little deflated. "I... Soph, I am doing everything I can. But... usually, if they're under fifteen, once a turian comes into their biotics, that's when their military service starts."_

"_Garrus, he's __**eleven**__!"_

"_I know, Soph. But this... is unheard of. I'm doing everything I can to bring him back home, trust me on that, it's just... convincing them won't be easy."  
_

"_Garrus, I can teach him, help him to control them until he's old enough..."_

"_That's what I've been trying to convince them of, but... it doesn't look good. He not only hurt those other children, he hurt Kira as well. Those scars will never fade, we both know that."_

"_Then __**not**__ the turian military. If he has to go, he goes to Grissom. But..."_

"_You don't want them to go," he finished for her._

"'_Them'?"_

"_Do you honestly think Kira will let her brother go alone?"_

_She sighed once more. "No... I guess not..."_

* * *

Sophia was doing her best to _not_ focus on the dreams.

If she _did_, certain details became harder and harder to ignore, leaving her feeling very much as if something important was about to click into place.

Something she was more than content to have no knowledge of.

She didn't _want_ to know about the future, so she was more than happy with Kira and Tom's decision to not tell her about it. She was sure that it would do little more than bring up a whole load of questions that she would rather avoid, or, at least, come to in her own time.

However, she had suspected for a few weeks now that fate would not be so kind. More and more details were lingering when she woke, leaving her fairly certain that in the other timeline she had continued her relationship with Garrus on for many more years. While the information itself wasn't unpleasant, she would prefer to be safe in the knowledge that her decisions were her own, not prompted by any information she might receive about the future.

So, although she wasn't quite sure what to make of Kira being so quiet, she had to admit that it was kind of a relief. The last few months, both she and her brother had been slipping up more than usual and had become a little less protective of information about the future.

But she had to admit that she found it more than a little unnerving. Especially after the two of them had finally encountered the Justicar, and Kira had stayed silent throughout the whole affair. It was respectful, and exactly how a subordinate _should_ behave on missions, but it wasn't how _Kira_ behaved. Sophia hated it when her crew didn't feel comfortable enough to voice their opinions (although, of course, there were boundaries - which Kira often seemed fond of testing).

So, Shepard resolved to get her to talk as they made their way through the Eclipse hideout.

"So, your brother was the CO of your squad, right?"

Kira nodded. "Yes. What of it?"

"Well, how did that work, exactly? I mean, wasn't it difficult for you to take orders from him?"

"Is it difficult for Garrus to take orders from you?"

"It's not the same thing. I mean, he's your _brother_. There had to be a struggle for power at some point."

Kira just shrugged. "Not really. I didn't _want_ to be in charge. I don't like leadership roles. Too much responsibility. Tom listened to me and always valued my opinion, so there was never a need to argue."

"_Shepard,_" EDI's voice sounded over the comm as they approached an area filled with storage tanks, "_those tanks contain a compound called Minagen X3. It enhances biotics, but is toxic. I would suggest limiting exposure._"

"Thanks for the head-up, EDI," Sophia replied before she and Kira pressed onwards.

They seemed to clear the area easily enough, and Shepard had managed to limit her exposure to the substance so that she wasn't feeling any effects. However, when she looked over at Kira, the younger woman was visibly paler. "Kira, are you alright?"

She nodded. "Yeah... Nanobots should do their job..."

Sophia was about to protest when they turned around the corner, only to find a particularly scared looking young asari hiding behind a desk.

"Wait!" she called out, as Shepard readied her weapon. "Stop! I didn't fire my weapon! I pretended to-" She was cut off by a bullet between the eyes. Sophia turned to Kira, shocked, but the young woman was already walking away.

"Trust me, it was the right call," she managed through gritted teeth. Sophia didn't say anything, too concerned about the younger woman. Was this something to do with what had happened earlier and her new attitude, or was it simply a response to pain?

Sophia wasn't sure that it mattered, it was still wrong, but she decided to hold off on yelling until they were out of there. At that moment, she was too concerned with how Kira appeared to be rapidly paling, despite being no longer exposed to the toxic substance.

* * *

Sophia spent the rest of the mission watching Kira closely. The younger woman seemed more brutal in her tactics, seemingly trying to blast through the enemies as quickly as possible.

As soon as she had fired the last shot between the merc leader's eyes, Kira promptly collapsed. Sophia swore as she made her way over to the young woman as swiftly as she could, quickly grabbing the datapad, with the name of the ship Samara wanted, from the table as she went.

"Kira?!" The younger woman refused to stir. "Shit..." Sophia activated her comm. "EDI? What's the fastest way to get back to the ship? Kira's hurt."

"_There is a public transport right outside the building. It can bring you both back to the docks._"

"Thank you," Sophia told her as she picked up Kira, cursing the fact that she was even taller than she was. "Can you patch in Garrus?"

"_Certainly_."

Barely a moment passed before his voice came over the comm. "_Soph, what happened?_"

"I'm not sure. We both got exposed to this mini-whatever stuff. I'm fine, but Kira's unconscious..."

"_Do you want me to tell Tom?_"

"Erm... I guess you'd better, he probably knows the most about her enhancements and stuff." The comm was silent for a few more minutes as Sophia finally made her way to the transport, glad when the coordinates were finally keyed in and she could concentrate on checking Kira's vitals.

"_Shepard?_" Tom's voice finally came over the comm, Sophia took a little solace in how calm he sounded.

"I'm here."

"_Kira will be fine, she's dealt with this before. The problem is that the compound she was exposed to is a derivative of red sand, which Kira doesn't respond to well_."

"Is there anything I should do?"

"_The main issue is the hallucinations. When she wakes up, she'll fixate on the first thing she sees and then start reliving an old memory. She'll probably replay a conversation you had with her on the SR1 or something. It doesn't really matter if you play along or not, just don't freak out. She'll pass out again afterwards and her nanobots should succeed in getting it out of her system._"

Sophia nodded. "Okay, then I need you and Garrus to get Samara. She's currently being held in police custody. I'll send you the information we retrieved, but you have to get it to her asap."

"_Okay then_."

Kira didn't stir for the rest of the journey back to the Normandy, nor as Sophia and Chakwas got her back to the med-bay. Their scans showed that she was already recovering and Sophia had begun to doubt whether or not she would actually start hallucinating as Tom had said, just as Kira bolted upright in the bed, her eyes darting around the room.

"Hey, you're okay, piccina," Sophia assured her as Kira's eyes locked with hers.

"Where's Tom?" Kira asked, sounding more than a little frightened and desperate.

"He's fine, Kira. He'll be back soon."

Kira just shook her head. "No. Don't lie. They're going to lock him up, aren't they?"

Sophia frowned, finally figuring that this was what Tom had warned her about, although she couldn't figure out which memory Kira was reliving. "Why would anyone lock your brother up?"

"For hurting them! For... for hurting me. But, _please_, it wasn't his fault! He couldn't control it. It was my fault, if they hadn't come after me, they wouldn't have triggered his biotics." Shepard was a little caught off-guard by that. Clearly Kira was reliving a time shortly after Tom had come into his biotics, but why would she be having this conversation with _her_ of all people? "Promise me," Kira pleaded, grabbing Sophia's arm. "Promise me that you won't let them take him away, Mama. _Please_."

Sophia was a little dumbfounded by that, her mind refusing to recognise the words she had just heard. _It must be a mistake, she's just confused,_ Sophia figured, scrambling for another explanation, but Kira kept on going.

"They'll make him fight, I know they will. I- I knew that he'd have to join the army at fifteen. A turian carrying names like 'Shepard' and 'Vakarian' would never have had a choice, but... Please don't let them take my brother away, Mama. Please don't..." With that, Kira fell back into unconsciousness, as Sophia was left, more than a little, in shock.

_It has to be a mistake_, she assured herself, ignoring the feeling of things falling into place in the back of her mind. Little details that she had put so much effort into ignoring ever since the twins had arrived on board were finally joining together, leaving very little room for doubt about their identities.

"She... that drug has really messed with her head," Sophia commented, rather lamely, to Chakwas.

The doctor simply raised an eyebrow as she folded her arms, fixing Shepard with a knowing look. "Even you cannot remain in denial after this, Sophia."

She sighed, as she raked her hand through her hair, her gaze coming once more to rest on the unconscious woman, noting, for the first time since they had met, just how similar they looked. "So she and Tom are really..."

"Your and Garrus' children? Yes."

"How long have you known?" Sophia finally asked as her mind whirred over every interaction she'd had with the twins over the past few years, casting every conversation in a new light.

"Since... Well, I have suspected since Therum. Kira and Tom only confirmed it just before we picked up Kasumi. I'm afraid some of the crew had taken to dropping hints around you, to see how long it would take you to realise."

Sophia frowned. "So, wait, does _everyone_ know?"

Chakwas shrugged. "I believe most of the crew is aware. Most of us suspected on the SR1, and those suspicions have only been confirmed in the past few months."

"I don't... I don't understand _any_ of this..."

"Well, then I guess you'd better ask _them_," Chakwas told her as Tom entered the med-bay, looking more than a little concerned.

"Is she alright?" he asked.

Sophia folded her arms, giving Tom a disapproving glare. "She's fine," she answered, a little shortly, "where's Garrus? Or, should I say, _your father_?"

Tom immediately shrank back, looking more than a little sheepish as he turned to Chakwas. "You told her?"

The doctor shook her head. "No, your sister did all the talking."

"Shit." Tom sighed. "Dad is still with Samara. We were halfway there when I realised that Kira had twenty five years worth of memories with you that it would be... _inconvenient_ for her to relive. I guess luck wasn't on our side today..."

"I guess not," Sophia replied, before turning to Chakwas. "Can you give us a minute?" The doctor nodded before leaving the room. It was a couple of moments before Sophia spoke again. "Tell me everything. From the beginning."

Tom sighed, looking a little lost. "I... I'm really not sure what I should and shouldn't-"

"_Tom_," Sophia interrupted, "I said _everything_."

He sighed once more, before sitting in the chair Chakwas had vacated, his eyes fixated on the floor as if he found it particularly fascinating. "Alright... From the beginning? Well, I'm sure Kira's told you most of this but, in our timeline, the First Contact War only lasted three months," he started in a tired monotine, all of a sudden seeming both like a scared child and a tired old man, all at once. Sophia decided to simply listen intently, not sure whether or not she actually _wanted_ to hear this, but knowing that she had to.

"Sophia Shepard grew up much in the same way you did, just without the war. She joined the Alliance at sixteen and quickly made a name for herself, successfully becoming an N7. After that she found herself on shoreleave on Elysium, where she managed to hold off an attack by batarians, almost single-handedly. _That_ made her a candidate for the position of first human Spectre.

"She headed to Eden Prime with Nihlus Kryik who was - unbeknownst to her - evaluating her for a position in the Spectres. However, Saren was there with his army of geth, as he was here, and Nihlus was killed. Shepard then had to gather enough evidence to convince the council of Saren's treachery without him, recruiting the help of a young C-Sec officer by the name of Garrus Vakarian along the way. She then rounded up a crew, much like you did, and headed off to face Saren. The only other casualty was Kaidan Alenko, who didn't make it off of Virmire.

"By the end of it, she was good friends with all of her crew, including Vakarian, whom she recommended for Spectre training after their mission. He returned to the Citadel, where the Council was being particularly stubborn about ignoring the Reaper threat, to the point of sending Commander Shepard off to hunt down the remaining geth, where she met an untimely demise at the hands of the Collectors.

"What happened on Omega... the whole 'Archangel' thing... It was kept from most of the official records and Kira and I never quite figured it out. All we know is that he didn't have much time left when a newly-resurrected Shepard showed up, with the Cerberus allies she was more than reluctant to have. He ended up getting hit by a rocket and was heavily injured, although not enough to prevent him from joining her on her mission through the Omega-4 relay.

"I... I want to avoid telling you anything more relevant to the mission but, suffice to say, Shepard and Vakarian fell in love, and were married not long after the Reapers were defeated. Although, during the war, thanks to certain events, the Illusive Man began to believe that the best way to deal with Shepard, who had turned her back on him shortly after her return through the Omega-4 relay, was to replace her with a Cerberus built and trained clone. Of course, Vakarian would be the person most likely to figure it out, so he would have to be replaced too.

"However, the war was over by the time they had even come close to completing their work. The Alliance received reports of one last hole-up of Cerberus troops and sent Shepard and Vakarian to investigate on one last mission before retirement. I don't think they knew that it was a cloning facility going in, but they certainly had no idea that they would find it empty, except for two young children, less than a year old. A turian boy and a human girl, genetically similar, but not identical, to their rescuers. They took us in and raised us as their own."

His gaze seemed to drop further, making him seem even more tired. "We've always kept quiet about who we are because, even if this timeline was identical to our own, to arrive before Eden Prime and claim to be Kirayna and Thomas Shepard-Vakarian would have caused issues. I'm sorry, we hadn't intended you to find out."

She snorted a little at that, her mind still whirling from everything she had been told. "Right, you just thought that you would keep this from us forever. Tom, it would only have been a matter of time before we figured it out ourselves."

He sighed. "I... I know that, but what should we have done? You didn't want to know. It felt only right to respect that until the last minute."

"You're right," she admitted, "I _didn't _want to know. I've been... I don't know if Kira told you, but I have... a lot of the memories from the other timeline. Most didn't make any sense, but now? It's just... disorienting, to have all of these memories of things that haven't happened yet."

"Welcome to our lives for the past three years."

"Is she going to be okay?" Sophia asked, looking at his sister - _her daughter_.

"Yeah... she should be up and aware in a few hours."

"Okay then," she said, turning to leave, only to be stopped by Tom.

"Mom- I mean, Shepard. Sorry, it's just-"

She cut him off. "It's okay... I... Weirdly, I don't mind, tesoro."

"Right... well, erm... I'm just curious; what memory _exactly_ did she relive?"

"She was waking up in the hospital, just after you first came into your biotics."

Tom's gaze once again found the floor as his subharmonics began to trill with shame. "I... I still can't believe that she... I expected her to cower from me in fear the next time she saw me. I had _literally_ exploded with rage and she..."

"I'm sure I - I mean, the _other_ me - told you this at the time, but she begged me to find a way to let you stay."

"I... I've never known Kira to beg for anything in her life..." he muttered, his gaze still stuck to the ground. "And, you did. I stayed until... well, until _I_ decided that I couldn't cope with the idea that all I needed was to get a little angry and I might hurt someone. Might hurt Kira."

Sophia nodded. "I remember..." was all she said, before turning to leave.

"What have we landed ourselves in this time?" Tom muttered to his sister, who still refused to stir from her sleep.

* * *

Garrus was more than a little confused when he returned to the ship, only to be told by EDI that Sophia was 'indisposed', leaving the job of making sure Samara was briefed and comfortable onboard to him. Although he struggled to keep his concentration, wondering if Kira had been seriously injured, enough so that Sophia would forgo personally dealing with a new crew member.

"You seem distracted," Samara commented, as Garrus showed her to the observation deck.

"One of our crew members was exposed to a smuggled compound while they were in the Eclipse hideout. She had a bad reaction, and I'm just wondering if she's okay."

Samara nodded in understanding, although she found herself more than a little curious about the subharmonic undertones he was voicing. To her knowledge, only two crew members came to assist her, both human, and yet, he was showing concern as if for a close family member. "The young woman with Shepard?" She figured that if it was Shepard who had been hurt, he would have simply said so.

"Yes. I'm just a little worried for her."

"_Agent Kirayna is currently stable. She should awaken in the next hour,_" EDI informed him over the comm.

Garrus frowned at that. "If she's okay, then where's Soph?"

"_The commander is in her cabin. I believe she has received some information which has unsettled her._"

"What information?"

"_I'm sorry, that is classified._"

"Who classified it?"

"_Agents Thomas and Kirayna Viktal._"

"I see you have other matters to attend to," Samara commented as they arrived at their destination.

"Yes. I apologise for having to go so suddenly."

"Not at all, Spectre Vakarian."

"Please, it's just Garrus," he told her, before hurrying back towards the lift, heading up to Sophia's cabin. Although, he supposed he had, technically, moved in a while ago. She had insisted that he stay up there instead of in the main battery, and so he did. Unless he fell asleep while calibrating the main gun, which happened more often than he liked to admit.

"Soph," he called, knocking on her door. Usually he didn't bother, but if she was _unsettled_...

He received no response, although the door did eventually unlock. He wondered if that had been Sophia's doing or EDI's.

Initially he thought the room empty as he entered, however, after turning the corner, he found Sophia curled up on the sofa, her head buried in a pillow.

"Soph?" he asked softly as he approached, wondering if she was asleep.

"Garrus," came a muffled voice from beneath the pillow, "What are you doing here?"

"Wondering why you're hiding out in your cabin."

She groaned, still not lifting her head. "I needed time to think," she eventually replied, his translator struggling with the muffled words.

He sighed as he sat down next to her, wondering just what exactly had gotten into her. "Are you going to keep hiding, or can I see you?" he asked, a little jokingly.

"Yeah, yeah. Might as well. Knew I couldn't hide from you forever."

He frowned at that. "Why were you hiding from me?" he asked softly as she uncurled herself, sitting up with her knees up to her chest, a bottle of spirits in hand that he was surprised to have not noticed before.

She studied him for a moment, her gaze surprisingly sharp for someone so inebriated, although he figured that she wasn't _just_ drunk. Something else had happened. "You don't know, do you?"

He shrugged. "Know what?"

"If you knew, you'd know."

"Okay, I think you've had enough of this," he told her, gently taking the bottle from her grasp. She didn't object. "Now, what happened after you got back to the Normandy? I know Tom came back because he was worried about his sister's hallucinations."

"He worried that she'd let something slip."

His stomach clenched a little at that. What had they told her about the future? What could be so horrible? Was she going to die? Was he? Would they fail their mission? "Soph," he said, once he found his voice again, "it doesn't matter what they said. The future can be changed, remember?"

She gave him a confused look for a moment, before shaking her head. "No, it's... It's nothing bad. The opposite, in fact."

"Then why are you bothered?"

"Because _I didn't want to know_! I _want_ the future to turn out as they told me it does, but I want it to be _genuine_, not just because I was told that it was my future."

"Soph, what did they tell you exactly?"

She sighed, shaking her head. "Come on, Garrus. I think we've both known for a long time now, we just didn't want to face it."

"Know what?"

"Kira and Tom."

"What about them?"

"They're-" she stopped, bursting into a fit of laughter. "I can't even say it, it sounds so ridiculous."

"Say _what_?"

She shook her head, clearly struggling to form the words. She simply sighed, hugging her knees to her chest. "You had to have noticed. That Kira looks _just_ like me."

"I guess... I thought so on the SR1. But, then, I figured I just wasn't very good with human faces."

"Yeah, see, that's how I rationalised the fact that Tom looks exactly like _you_."

He frowned a little. "Soph, what are you getting at?"

"We both know that they've been hiding their real identities, that they're from only thirty years in the future, that their mother was human and their father turian... I guess we were just ignoring the obvious fact that they were... well, _us_."

His frown deepened. "They're- _wait_! Are you saying... Tom and Kira are... well, _our_... _Spirits_..."

"Yep... Are you freaking out? I'll admit, I've been kind of freaking out..."

"Well, I... I guess I'm freaking out because I'm not freaking out _more_. I guess... I _did_ already know. I was just... ignoring it." He had to admit that the since Kira had accidentally called him 'Dad' on Omega, he had been onto them, especially after she had confirmed that they were only from thirty years in the future, but he had pushed the information to the back of his mind, not wanting to deal with it, as, evidently, Sophia had. He had to admit that it wasn't lost on him how Sophia treated them like her children, and had for a while, as well as how even he had adopted that same attitude, which, as much as he liked to blame Soph for it, was brought about by those odd nights where he could have sworn his mind had been occupied while he slept.

"Urgh, that shouldn't make sense, but it does. _Shit_." She sighed once more, her hand moving up to fidget with her ponytail. "I'm not so much concerned with the fact that they're... well, that they're our children - God, that _still_ sounds so weird to say - it's more the feeling of our future already being planned out for us. I mean, hell, the war didn't end so long ago that we've been able to do anything but take this relationship one day at a time."

"Soph," he said, leaning closer, so that he could run his talons softly over the ribbon in her hair, "I'm not... _surprised_ that I bonded with you."

"Me neither," she admitted, softly, "I just... if we do bond in the future, how will we know that it wasn't just because we were told to?"

He simply smiled at that, looking sheepish once more. "I guess I never did properly explain the ribbon... I chose that colour because it's the colour of my clan. It's my way of saying that you're my amvimae. That, Spirits willing, I fully intend to bond with you one day."

She frowned a little, trying to equate it to human terms. "Sort of like an engagement?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. There's remarkably little information on human customs. It's... less permanent than bonding, by a long stretch. But also far from a casual gesture."

She shook her head a little. "God, we're just flailing about in our respective cultures, aren't we?"

"Soph, I love you. In the end, that's all that matters, not some customs some other people thought up hundreds of years ago. The idea that we bonded, and had children, and grew old together doesn't surprise me, because I can't imagine doing it with anyone else."

Her breath seemed to catch at that. "Garrus, I- Sometimes, I think you have more ability to articulate the things I'm thinking than _I _do." She closed the space between them, pressing her forehead to his. "I love you. More than anything." She pulled away before giving him a slightly sterner look. "But next time, _tell me_ when you're making some kind of gesture of commitment. I think we've both had enough of being kept in the dark."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he commented. She smiled, although it quickly fell into a frown as if she were thinking intently on something. After a few moments, she took the bottle back from him, drinking once more. "Hey, what's that about?"

"I just occurred to me that the ribbon is the same colour as Tali's bracelet, and then I remembered that Tali and Tom are dating and have been talking about becoming bonded for a while now, and then I remembered that Tom is our son. You do realise that would make _Tali_ our daughter-in-law?!"

He seemed as if he was struggling to hold back a laugh at her rambling. "So? What's wrong with Tali?"

"_Nothing_. Just... she's one of my best friends and it's _weird_!"

"Soph, are you going to be weirded out by every little thing now?"

She huffed at that, before realising something else, a crafty grin playing across her features. "Okay then. I guess it also doesn't bother you that Nihlus is in love with your daughter."

His reaction was almost immediate as he took the bottle back out of her hands. "Give me that," he told her before drinking some himself.

"Oh, you are _so_ lucky I was drinking dextro."

"I thought we'd figured out that they didn't like each other any more," he countered.

Sophia simply raised an eyebrow. "I think that they've both got their head up their arse."

"Why are so calm about it?"

"I like Nihlus. You're just freaking out because you're her dad."

"You do realise that he's _older_ than us, right? And, sure, he's a decent guy, but he's a _Spectre_."

Sophia just smirked. It was nice to not be the only one weirded out by it all. "So, it's okay for you to _be_ a Spectre, but not for our daughter to date one?"

"Exactly," he grumbled.

She just kept smirking. "You know, in the other timeline, _I'm_ the Spectre."

"A _human_ Spectre?"

She nodded. "I know, right?"

"So, what am I doing?"

"I thought I'd already told you this from my dreams; you were a C-Sec officer, before I dragged you along on my crazy mission against Saren."

"Well, I guess my father only agreed to my becoming a Spectre because of the war, and he _did_ start pushing C-Sec on me the second it was over," he reasoned, before sighing. "We weren't planning on leaving the cabin for the rest of the night, were we?"

She let out a bark of laughter at that, shaking her head. "_No_. I still need to wrap my head around all this."

"Same..." He sighed once more, before drawing her closer to him, the alcohol, in addition to her proximity and his stress-levels, making her damn-near irresistible. He moved his hands down to her hips, charting the smooth curves to to her ass as she moved over so that she was straddling him, her forehead pressed to his once more. He was about to begin removing clothing when something more than a little disturbing occurred to him. "Wait, how do _we_ have kids in the future?"

"It's a long story that involves Cerberus putting their grubby paws where they're not wanted, with a surprisingly positive outcome, for once. Don't worry, you're not going to knock me up."

"Who said I was worried?" he joked.

She simply smiled at him, although it had a slightly bittersweet edge to it. "I guess we both knew that it wouldn't be possible. I just never really thought about it. I guess it's nice to know that it works out, regardless of biology."

"See? Sometimes knowing the future isn't such a bad thing."

"I guess not..."


	28. Chapter 28

**AN: Sh! You didn't see me, I'm not here. If anyone asks, I've been killing myself with revision so that I don't fail this year. (I'm still determined to not lose a year to stupid glandular fever. I don't care if other people drop out, they don't have my level of crazy...)**

**Side note, I actually think this might be the longest chapter I've ever uploaded. It's certainly up there... But don't expect much for the next month. I'm not even sure how I've done this chapter, to be honest...**

**Thanks once more to everyone who reads with special thanks to everyone who favs/follows and extra special thanks to Laufeyson'sWife, Horrorclown, DeltaAgent and 1054SS325MP for the awesome reviews. You guys seriously rock! I also kind of want to apologise because I feel like I should reply to reviews but I don't for the same reason that I don't post reviews, even on stories I absolutely adore, which is that I don't know how. I mean, I know how to press the buttons to reply and stuff, but... It's difficult to explain without delving into my special brand of crazy. I just realised that replying is the usual protocol and I haven't been adhering to that, and I didn't want anyone to take it personally. Your reviews seriously are what keep me writing, I just can't tell you that on an individual basis unless I've been doped up on Kalms (which was the last time I managed to post a review...), you know? No? Never mind. Just put it down to me being an eccentric writer. ^^  
**

**Smut warning: start and middle of the chapter guys!**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 28 - Oh, Him? He's Harmless. Back in the Sixties, He Was Part of the Free Speech Movement at Berkeley. I Think He Did a Little Too Much LDS.**

_Kira frowned a little, wondering who was at her door at this late hour._

_She felt her breath escape her lungs as she found herself face to face with the turian she had found her mind wandering to far more often than she was comfortable with over the past few months. "Nihlus? What are you doing here?"_

_He stepped towards her, causing her to step back so that the door could shut behind them, although she still kept the space between them as small as possible. "I know that you told me not to join you but... I couldn't bear another minute away from you," he confessed._

"_I... I don't..." She found herself unable to form an articulate response as his subharmonics told her of his lustful longing for her, her own quickly mirroring his in response before she pressed her lips to his mouthplates, their tongues warring for dominance as he pushed her backwards, quickly finding her bed._

_She wasn't sure how it happened but, before she knew it, she was undressed, lost in the taste of his kiss as his hands teased her breasts, causing her to whimper into his mouth. It had been far, __**far**__ too long since she had been touched like that, and she was entirely ready to lose herself to the sensations, all of her previous worries and doubts about their relationship erased by the heat pooling down to her groin._

_Soon enough his hands trailed downwards to her thighs, prying them apart so that she was completely exposed to him, barely taking a moment to note her arousal before sheathing his cock fully inside of her, causing her to moan. He began to roll his hips and she moved to match his pace, so close to her own release that it was maddening._

"_Come for me, my siren," he whispered in her ear, his hot breath on her sensitive skin causing her need to deepen as she found her release within moments, as if she had just been waiting for his permission._

_He continued on as she rode out her orgasm, quickly finding his own release, spilling inside of her as she panted for breath._

_They now lay entangled above her sheets, his arms holding her gently against him as she sighed with content._

"_I... I never thought you'd like me for me," she admitted quietly, almost afraid to voice her fears._

_He just answered her with a soft chuckle. "Well, of course I don't, my siren."_

_She frowned, pulling away so that she could face him. "What do you mean?"_

"_How could I ever like you without your... __**enhancements**__?"_

_Her blood chilled in her veins as her gaze rose to the bedside table, only to see an empty syringe, much like the one Mordin had used all those months ago to shut off her pheromone production._

"_No one will ever care about __**you**__, my siren."_

* * *

The first thing Kira registered as she awoke was that she was sitting bolt upright as someone had a tight grip of her shoulders, keeping her in place.

"Kira? Kira, look at me."

She spun around as best she could at Chakwas' familiar voice.

"Wha- what happened?" she managed, still gasping for air.

"You were exposed to a toxic substance. Do you remember anything?"

She nodded, concentrating on the odd memories. "We were fighting Eclipse... I accidentally inhaled some of that drug stuff and then... then everything gets fuzzy. I was in a hospital and... and I had bandages on my arm, and I think I was dreaming because I was a little girl and I was talking to Mom and... and then I was back here, on the ship, and Ni-" She stopped herself mid-sentence as she began to blush furiously.

"So then what was the screaming about?" the doctor asked gently.

Kira just shook her head. "It was just a dream... a nightmare."

The doctor simply gave her a sympathetic look as her brother came into the room, rushing over to her. "Are you okay? EDI told me that you woke up."

Kira simply nodded silently as she slumped back down in the bed. "I'm fine," she eventually managed, her voice sounding even rougher than she felt. "How long was I out?"

"Three days. You kept trying to wake earlier, but the doc said you hadn't fully healed yet."

"Shit," she muttered, still silently cursing her subconscious for throwing her through a loop, although she finally found herself distracted from her strange dream as she narrowed her eyes at the look on his face. "Why do you look like Mr Fluffy after he shit on the carpet?"

He laughed a little at that. "I didn't shit on the carpet, I promise. Although, in his defense, you _were_ supposed to let him out."

"Yeah, well, I'm not good with animals."

"Yeah, it explains why we never had any more pets."

"No, we didn't have any more pets because you cried like a little kid when we had to have him put down."

"I _was_ a little kid."

She smiled a little as she sat up again, narrowing her eyes once more. "You're avoiding the question. What did you do?"

Tom sighed. "_I_ didn't do anything. You did"

"Tom, I've been unconscious, what could I have possibly done?"

"That stuff you were exposed to? What do you suppose the main ingredient is?"

"Unicorn hair?"

He rolled his eyes. "_Red sand._"

"_Ah,_" she answered, although her eyes rapidly widened, as if trying to escape her skull, as she realised what that might mean. "Oh, please tell me I didn't-"

"Mom was the only one with you at the time. Apparently you woke up and began asking her to not send your brother away for biotic training. Chakwas filled her in before I got there."

Kira groaned, throwing her head back so that it hit off the wall. "_Ow_," she cried in response, before sitting forward, sighing. "So, now they know. I mean, I assume she's told Dad. So, now what?"

"You're asking _me_?"

"Well, I'm all out of ideas."

"We adjust. There's nothing else _to_ do."

"Well, this is just fucking fantastic," she muttered as she tried to get up

Tom responded by firmly placing his hand on her shoulder, keeping her in place. "Oh no you don't. Chakwas wants another twenty four hours to monitor you, between the exposure to that Minagen stuff and whatever happened with your crazy device, she's worried. And, to be honest, so am I."

"Oh, come on, fratellino, I'm _fine_!"

"Nope, you're staying here." He simply sighed as she glared at him. "Kira, you haven't _stopped_."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, that you've just kept on going. I think you need to sort through some things and you're not giving yourself the time."

She sighed, shaking her head, as she realised what he was getting at. "Tom, I'm fine with what happened, really."

"Kira-"

"No, just... Tom, I'm not an idiot. I know that I'm not always the best at showing it, but I am capable of dealing with my own crap. I understand that I've been hiding from... from any possibility of hurting myself like that again, but I got over that months ago. I might not have gotten the exact goodbye that I wanted but it did its job. I have my answers, and I no longer have a reason to keep hiding."

Tom simply sighed at that, knowing that she was right. "Cai was the only person I ever met who managed to convince you to stop hiding."

"No," Kira corrected him, "there have been others, but I've lost them all through my own stupidity. Tom... I'm not good for the people I care about, I realise that now..."

"No," Tom interrupted, "not again. Don't do this to yourself, Kira. Please don't run from your family again. You only hurt us more by leaving."

Kira's gaze, however, was resolute. "Tom, the only mistake I ever made was coming back. But, don't worry, I won't abandon my obligations."

"But once we're done with the Reapers?"

"I'm not sure," she lied, before sighing. "Tom, I don't mean to kick you out, but I'm really tired."

Her brother nodded reluctantly, unsure of what he could say to pull her out of this. "Yeah, okay..." he eventually settled for.

* * *

Sophia had spent the last few days making sure she knew her crew. Even those who worked for Cerberus. It hadn't taken her long to confirm that her initial assessment of Jacob had been correct; he was alright. She got the impression that he had had a problem with turians, but his friendship with Tom had, apparently, made him more tolerant of other races. Miranda, on the other hand, actively treated Shepard with disdain over her relationship with Garrus. Honestly, Sophia had seriously considered kicking her out of an airlock, but then she'd have to deal with TIM herself, so she worked hard to keep her more violent tendencies in check whenever she had to deal with the brunette operative, but one thing was certain: Miranda was skating on _very_ thin ice as far as Shepard was concerned.

She had gotten to know the rest of the crew quite well and had made it her job to make sure they were all comfortable – she was, after all, asking them to participate in a suicide mission.

She definitely was _not_ hiding from the twins, as Kasumi had taken to suggesting. Kira had only just regained consciousness that morning and Sophia had simply been too busy to see her. And she supposed that she and Tom just kept on missing each other – Tali too – which, as far as she was concerned, was completely understandable. She was the commander of the ship, after all, and had little time for… _babysitting_.

_Okay, maybe that was a little harsh,_ she thought to herself, but in her defence, she had no idea what she was supposed to do... or not do. She had only the remnants of dreams; protective, maternal feelings that she had no knowledge to back up beyond the fragments of memories. Although, as time went on, those memories were becoming more real to her, especially now that she knew the truth.

"You seem distracted," Samara remarked, drawing an awkward smile from the commander.

"Sorry, it's just… been a strange week for me."

"Yes, I have come to understand that you have recently learned the identity of the two time travellers on board."

Sophia gave a humoured sigh. "Yeah, I'm still not impressed with everyone for keeping this from me."

"It was not their secret to tell," Samara reasoned.

"Perhaps not, but now I rightly feel the fool. I knew that I was ignoring the truth as it stared me in the face, but can you blame me? This has complicated a lot of things that I would have very much liked to remain uncomplicated."

"Like your relationship with Garrus?"

Sophia shifted awkwardly at that. It was true that she had since found things with Garrus… odd. "It's just that… I have these memories from the other timeline, of raising the twins with him. I mean, they're fragmented and more than a little confused, but they're still memories he doesn't have… It has created a... gap between us, and I have no idea how to bridge it."

"Having children is difficult, even without the presence of time travel. I can personally attest to that, which is another matter I wished to speak with you about…"

"What is it?"

"The fugitive I was tracking, an Ardat-Yakshi by the name of Morinth, I have found her."

"I take it this is too urgent to wait until after we've dealt with the Collectors?"

"I know that she is on Omega _now_. If I wait too long, she will be gone and the trail will be cold."

Shepard nodded. "We're heading to Omega anyway."

"Thank you, Shepard. Although, there is one, more thing. Morinth is my daughter."

* * *

Shepard hurried from the Observation Deck to the elevator, wanting to avoid anyone spotting her on the Crew Deck. Honestly, she didn't feel as if she was ready to see Kira yet. What would she even say to her? The younger woman had always made it clear her relationship with her mother – _their _relationship – had been less than ideal, but Sophia didn't want that to change the relationship they had in this timeline.

Shepard entered the lift just as the doors closed, only to find that it was already occupied by a nervous looking quarian.

"Hey," Shepard said to her as the tension became unbearable.

"Hey," Tali replied in kind, her voice small.

Shepard gave a frustrated sigh at Tali's reaction to her before rolling her eyes. "EDI, stop the lift," she instructed the AI as Tali gave a short whimper of surprise that seemed to cut through Sophia. She knew that she had to start fixing things _now_ if she stood any chance of fixing them at all.

"Tali, we need to talk about... well..." She trailed off.

Tali nodded in response. "Yeah, I know..."

The quarian's refusal to continue speaking left Sophia at a loss for how to proceed. She wasn't even sure about which aspects of the situation had lead to this awkwardness. "Tali..." she started as she finally settled on a question; "how long have you known?"

Tali shifted awkwardly at that, wringing her hands together. "Well, I... Keelah... I'm not exactly sure where to... I didn't know on the SR1, I promise you that. Even when... even before Ilos, when Tom told me that he loved me, I didn't know... But, afterwards... you were still out when Kira and Tom arrived at the hospital on the Citadel, just after your battle with Saren. You were fine, but Garrus... he needed donor tissue from a close relative. At that point, Tom knew nothing about his and Kira's origin, but his sister told him that he would be a suitable donor. After the procedure, she told him everything. I arrived just after. He tried to explain why he was upset without revealing his identity, but it wasn't all too difficult to figure out..."

Shepard paused for a moment. That meant that Tali had known before they had even left for the fleet. Practically her entire relationship with Tom, she had known the truth. "That long, huh?"

"Yeah..."

"And that didn't... I mean, not the it should have, but it didn't... weird you out?"

Tali shook her head and Sophia was sure that her expression had become wistful beneath her mask. "I guess it should have, shouldn't it? But Tom was just so... _broken_ after Kira had told him the truth. Like his entire world had been tipped upside down. Seeing him like that broke my heart. I knew then that nothing could change how I felt about him. I love him, Sophia, with all my heart, no matter what or who he is."

Sophia nodded in understanding, suddenly feeling a lot better about the whole thing. "Okay then."

"So... you're not mad?"

Sophia raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

"About the fact that I found out the truth before you did? That I kept dating Tom after I knew? That I didn't tell you?"

Sophia simply shook her head. "Tali, stop worrying so much. You weren't the only one who knew before we did. And I wouldn't have wanted this to get in the way of you and Tom. Anyone can see how good you two are together..."

"I, erm... thanks."

"So, can we go back to how things were before they were all weird?"

"Yeah," Tali replied as the lift started again, taking Sophia to the CIC.

Tali had, in fact, been headed for the Crew Deck, but had stayed in the lift, hoping to avoid Sophia. So, once Sophia was out of the lift, Tali hit the button for the Crew Deck once more. As soon as she reached her destination, she found her love standing waiting for her, fidgeting in that adorable way that he did.

"EDI told me that Mom ambushed you. What did she say?"

"She, erm... she just wanted things to not be weird. I mean we have both been avoiding her and your father. Realistically, we could never have kept it up." Tom nodded, a tad reluctantly, clearly uncomfortable. Tali rested her hand on his arm in a comforting gesture, hoping that the understanding in her gaze made it past her mask. "You should go and talk to them."

He sighed. "Yeah, I guess I should..."

* * *

"I would just like to point out, once more, for the record, that I think this is a really bad idea."

Sophia quirked an eyebrow up at Garrus as she headed towards the airlock, all dressed up and ready to seduce Morinth. "Well, that's why you'll be keeping an eye on me. From a distance."

"Soph, I just... I hate the idea of you being unarmed."

She sighed a little. She had to admit that him showing that he cared like this was causing warm fuzzy feelings to spread through her gut, especially given how strange things had been between them over the past couple of days, but it was also super inconvenient at that moment in time. "Garrus, amore mio, this is me we're talking about. I'm never unarmed. If things go tits up, I have more than enough biotic firepower to crush that bitch's skull."

"She is Samara's daughter. If she got her biotics from her mother, she could be more than a match for you."

"Even if she did, she's too young to have reached her full potential. Garrus, I'll be fine, I promise." She kept her voice low and gentle in an attempt to be understanding. In all honesty, she wouldn't be happy with the idea of him going on a mission like this alone, Spectre or no. Kira had explained to her that turians have a tendency to get protective of their mates. It wasn't that he didn't think that she could protect herself, it was just instinct, and turian females acted in exactly the same way. She had encountered this protective streak before, but he had never questioned her so openly before a mission, it was usually afterwards when he would admit how worried he had been as he reassured himself that she was still there with the feel of her soft flesh beneath his hands.

Garrus was doing his best to keep himself calm. He wanted, more than anything, to demand that she stay on the ship - he was not, technically, under her command, after all. However, he was well aware that such a display would just make Sophia mad at him. She had been doing her best to be understanding of his more... turian quirks, but he didn't want to push her. He knew how strange it was to have to figure out what was and was not acceptable in another culture and quickly try to adjust your attitudes accordingly. Hell, humans were so varied in their attitudes that it was nearly impossible for him to figure out exactly what he was supposed to be doing. Earlier in their relationship, before he had known the truth about the twins, he had asked Tom to help him clear some things up, so he knew that his protective nature could be seen as him considering her as weak, especially since she was a woman. That was something he often struggled to get his head around, that males and females weren't always considered equal in human culture. Especially given how strong Shepard was. He had a difficult time believing that anyone could consider her inferior in any way. But, apparently, it made her more sensitive to any protective behaviour on his part in public. She didn't mind it behind closed doors, but he could see her reaching the edge of her patience as she realised just how many people were nearby to hear her boyfriend worry for her safety.

"I know, Soph, I know. Just... be careful." He lowered his forehead to hers, causing her heart to melt more than a little. Any interaction between the two of them had been more than a little awkward ever since they had figured out the truth and, as much as Sophia wished that Garrus would keep his concerns to himself until they were in a more private location, if getting him a little worried was the way to get rid of the awkwardness, she guessed that she would take it.

* * *

Kira wasn't exactly sure why she was still stuck in the medbay, although her money was on Chakwas trying to kill her with boredom. But, apparently, her nanobots still weren't back to working at optimum, and no one wanted to chance anything given that the technology still hadn't been invented.

"Hey, Chakwas still keeping you locked up in here?"

Kira turned to give Tali a grateful smile. She hadn't had anyone to talk to since Tom had left that morning. "Please tell me you're here to break me out."

"Unfortunately not. I just figured you might want to talk."

Kira narrowed her eyes at that. "Did Tom send you in here?"

Tali sighed as she sat down next to Kira. "He's worried about you. I just... I don't think he's seen it."

"Seen what?"

"The disconnect. You let Caius go a while back, but it was important for you to know that he had done the same. And, sure, it stings to _actually_ see it, but, in the end, you've always believed that it would be for the best."

Kira sighed, her gaze fixed on the piece of blanket she was worrying between her fingers. "Walking away wasn't as easy as I thought it would be..."

"Yeah, I may be smart, but I think I'll need a little more to go on than that."

Kira gave a small smile, but it faded quickly. "Turians... they bond for life. The only circumstances under which they are allowed to rebond are if their bondmate dies before they have children. Turian culture is all about duty - to society, to family - which, added to the fact that they don't really fall in love easily, means that they usually end up bonding with 'appropriate' mates."

"Yeah, don't parents usually arrange those things?"

"Yep. Obviously Tom and I were never subjected to such things, but Cai was."

Tali frowned beneath the mask. "Wait, I thought you two started dating right out of Basic."

Kira nodded. "Yeah, I guess... Okay, you need to understand something; I never expected Cai to bond with me. Ever."

"Really?"

Kira almost winced at Tali's incredulity. "Okay, that sounded worse than I meant it. I just... It's rare for a turian to bond with someone of another species. Dating isn't out of the picture, but bonding usually is, especially if their clan is rather strict, as Cai's was, with the minor exception of his parents. Plus... we both knew that he wanted to just do his required service in the military. He didn't want to stay any longer than necessary. Really, he wanted to take a civilian job designing ships. I, on the other hand, never wanted to stop. I mean, I didn't want to necessarily stay with the Hierarchy but... with so much of the galaxy to see, how could I ever be content to stay in one place?"

"And he didn't get that?"

Kira shrugged, her gaze still distant. "It was one of the reasons he loved me but... it was never something he understood. I don't think it was something that he _could_ understand, just as I didn't understand his need to stay in one place. We loved each other, with all of our hearts, but, as we got older, it became apparent that it wouldn't last forever. So when his family started arranging for him to meet with girls who would make more appropriate mates, he went."

"So, your boyfriend went on dates with other women and you didn't mind?"

"Look, it's... nothing ever happened on them. In fact, Caius _hated_ them and just found the other girls boring. But he kept going because we both knew that what we had was only temporary. We were teenagers and it was all of the excitement and promise of first love, but we were both very much aware that it wouldn't last. So, when the Hierarchy kicked me out, that was supposed to be it. Tom had adjusted to life in the Hierarchy and he and Caius were both excelling. So there was no longer any need for me. I walked away and left them to it. I just... hadn't realised that it would be so difficult."

"Wait, Tom already told me this bit. He and Caius got an offer from the Council and he found out from Anderson that you had already accepted a similar offer."

Kira nodded. "I... I wasn't sure what to do after I left the military. And... I hadn't realised just how much I would _miss_ him. I thought that I could just walk away with no complications or doubts. I quickly found out how stupid _that_ was. But then Anderson came to me with the job and I figured, hell, my heart may be broken, but what did that matter so long as I had an infinite supply of adventure?"

"Wow, you really were dumb, huh?" Tali joked.

Kira's smile finally returned with a genuine edge to it. "Laugh it up, sorellina."

"So, why did Caius take the job if he didn't want it?"

"Apparently saying goodbye was just as difficult for him. He decided that the future he wanted was pointless without me in it..." Tali couldn't help but notice how her voice cracked a little and how she tried to discreetly disguise the glaze of tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "I didn't believe that it would last. I always figured that he would eventually want to leave. I think my inability to believe that he would stick around infuriated him to no end. I think it was maybe the first time he had struggled to convince anyone of anything."

"Yeah, I've noticed that you tend to have a hard time believing that other people care about you."

"Well, maybe it's because I don't believe there's anything worth caring about and _yes_, I know how stupid that sounds. I'm working on it. Anyway, once things started moving and we finally got a ship of our own, I began to realise that he was just as excited as I was. And then he asked me to bond with him. It was... unexpected, but I realised that I wanted nothing more than to stay by his side forever. Which, I'll admit, scared me. More than a little. It was so stupid but I thought that... He had never understood my need for exploration and adventure and I began to wonder if he thought that one day I would want to stop. Maybe he hadn't really given up on that future that he had once wanted..."

"Wait, was that why you let the Council implant you with nanotechnology?"

Kira winced away from the accusation, but the shame across her features was all too easy to read. "I don't know! Maybe... God, I was such a shitty bondmate and a shitty wife... He always deserved better than me. I _should_ have walked away for real when the Hierarchy threw me out. I shouldn't have let him chase after me."

"But you loved each other," Tali countered, as if it were so simple.

"We did, but life isn't a fairytale. Love isn't some magical force that makes everything better. Sometimes it's better to just let go, which was something we were both too young to understand."

"But you were so adamant to get back to him when you got trapped here."

"Because I loved him," Kira countered, echoing Tali's previous argument with a smile that suggested that she was well aware of the irony. "Look, things weren't perfect between us - and I could see a real possibility of our relationship ending explosively in the next five to ten years - but they were still _good_. We loved each other and we would have worked it out, I think, but once I realised that I was trapped here... maybe it was for the best. Or maybe it wasn't, but we'll never know. I just... can't keep romanticising it. There's no proof that either of us would be happier if this didn't happen, and it did. And he's managed to move on with his life."

"So you think that you should move on too?"

Kira frowned a little. "I wasn't aware that I hadn't. Just because my... _romantic_ life hasn't exactly been all that... existent, doesn't mean that things aren't great. I co-lead the team that cleaned up _Omega_, if anyone remembers, and before that I managed it as a lone vigilante for months. I like it here and I have friends, which is all very new to me. I don't need a _boyfriend_ to validate my existence!"

"Right, that's why you're so defensive about it," Tali countered, making Kira sure that she had an eyebrow raised.

Kira simply sighed, turning away a little. "Look, there's only been one person who I've cared about since Caius and he doesn't feel the same way."

"Nihlus?"

Kira cursed silently as she felt herself blush. "It doesn't matter. He doesn't feel the same way and... and it's ridiculous that I am _this_ hung up on him. Stupid turian."

"Oh, well I can answer that for you."

"What?"

"Well, it's obvious, isn't it? Out of all of the people on the SR1, Nihlus was the only one who managed to get close to you because he _got_ you, which isn't something a lot of people can claim. You've seen the darker aspects of the galaxy and your first instinct isn't to head back home, it's to keep going. Which is exactly what you were just complaining your issue with Caius was. But Nihlus has that same compulsion, making him one of the few people in the galaxy that truly understands you."

"That's... _ridiculous_. It's not as if I saw him on the Citadel and physically _ached_ for him or anything..."

"That's exactly what happened, isn't it?"

"Maybe... _Spirits_, I'm pathetic!"

Tali just gave her a good-natured smile, despite the fact that she couldn't see it, shaking her head a little. "Kira, you're not pathetic."

"I am! I'm a pathetic girly girl who likes ribbons and boys and is incapable of being rational!"

"Okay, I'll admit, I haven't had a lot of female friends in the past, so I may need a little help here. Is this a girl thing or a human thing?"

"Both... I just... I've never been good at figuring out what others expect from me. I often end up overcompensating. I tried to just not give a crap, but that didn't work either. So now it's just this stupid balancing act between being some sappy girl who's too emotional, or being a cold-hearted bitch."

"Well, if it means anything, I don't think you're either."

"Thanks Tali. It means a lot." Kira smiled genuinely at the quarian, glad beyond measure that she got on so well with the woman her brother fell for. "But can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"How do you know so much about this stuff?"

"I read a _lot _of romance novels before I met Tom. It's also the reason I'm so good with tech. Theres not much else to do on the Flotilla when you have no friends."

"Ha! So, the same reason I'm so good with tech and weapons, then?"

"Exactly!"

* * *

Sophia tried to not look happy about the way Garrus had been hovering over her protectively since her showdown with Morinth. If things hadn't been so weird between them, she would have shot him a look that would have told him to remain at a respectful distance until they were alone, at which point she would have she would have jumped him immediately.

But things _had_ been weird. So, instead, she simply let him hover, too afraid to disrupt the display of affection, no matter how public.

It didn't last long, however. As soon as they boarded the ship, he headed to the main battery, claiming that he had some important 'calibrations' to do. Sophia ended up holding back a sigh in response. It seems as if everyone was avoiding her. Tom, Tali, Garrus; they all, apparently, had better things to do. At least she had fixed things with Tali, she figured, but, now that Kira was awake, she found it probable that her daughter would also avoid her.

She tried to keep her thoughts focused elsewhere as she stripped herself of her dress. She was always careful when choosing her clothing, making sure that she could always maneuver, so it wasn't tight around her legs. Oh, it was certainly tight around her top, accentuating both her breasts and waist, but the fabric which made up the skirt was thin with many layers that stopped above her knees, making sure that she wasn't restricted in any way. So long as she didn't mind flashing her knickers, that is. They may not be the sexiest underwear, but boyshorts have their uses, she figured as she finally took them off, giving one last longing look to the dress. It wasn't often that she got to wear such things in her line of work; it was almost prohibited for her to seem too feminine. It might undermine her credibility, a thought which caused her to roll her eyes. This particular dress had been one Kasumi had picked out for her - although she wasn't too sure she wanted to know the exact details of how the thief had acquired it.

She had only given Kasumi two instructions: she had to be able to move in it, and it had to be blue.

She had hoped that it would have had _some_ effect on Garrus, that he would no longer be able to keep ignoring her, but she had apparently had no luck. She whacked her fist off of the side of her shower as she got in, trying to vent her frustration. It had only been three days, but the day after they had found out the truth, she found herself waking up alone. Since then Garrus had been _off_ with her, barely speaking and always busy with those damned calibrations.

If he was so damned insistent on calibrating something, she could think of something far more interesting than the main gun...

_What am I? Sixteen?_ she thought to herself as she let the water wash over her, _it's only been three days!_

But still, she couldn't deny that, as much as she had resisted Morinth's attentions with every fibre of her being, she was still as horny as hell in the aftermath and, of course, her boyfriend was too busy being weirded out by their twin children from the future...

* * *

_Why did it have to be blue?_ Garrus wondered as he tried to resist the urge to pace the main battery. Things had been... _weird_ with Sophia since they had found out. The change was so slight that he wasn't entirely sure that he hadn't imagined it at first.

But as the night had gone on, it had become clear that she was acting differently. There was a familiarity borne of years together, instead of simply months. He had to admit that it was... strange. As if they had skipped several important parts. Or, rather, _she_ had, and he had simply been left in the lurch.

He knew that he should talk to her about it. He _knew_ that hiding in the main battery was more than a little cowardly of him but he had no idea how to approach this.

And then she had worn blue.

He had to admit that he might have just stayed in the main battery forever, had it not been for that damned dress. It was as if she knew all of his buttons, wearing something that accentuated her waist, hugging her curves in a light fabric that matched the colour of his markings exactly.

_Spirits_, he wanted her. He ached for her with every fibre of his being, and almost losing her to Morinth had done nothing to help that fact.

He was pulled from his thoughts by the realisation that he had been growling. He let out another, even more frustrated growl as he finally accepted that there was nothing else he could do. He had to go and talk to her, to figure this out.

He turned off his console before heading towards the lift, glad that he didn't run into anyone. Especially Tom, Kira or Tali.

He approached Sophia's quarter's tentatively. He found himself a little surprised by his thought. He hadn't considered them _her_ quarters in months. He sighed, realising once more just how wrong he had been to avoid her for so long.

The door to her quarters opened automatically as he approached, brightening his mood a little as he realised that she had made no moves to reciprocate his childish attitude. She had simply been waiting for him to come home.

He didn't deserve her, he figured as he nervously entered their quarters, wondering where she was.

His question was quickly answered by the sound of running water. He wondered if he should leave and come back, not wanting to disturb her, but his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her panting, the smell of her arousal hitting him harder than it normally would have as he realised exactly what she was doing.

* * *

Sophia's common sense had won out over her libido, telling her that she couldn't just call Garrus up for sex when things had been so weird between them. But that did nothing to help her current situation. What _did_ help was slipping her fingers between her legs, trying to alleviate some of the ache herself as she leant back against the cool tiles of shower wall, sliding down as she closed her eyes, trying to replace her own touch with her lover's in her mind.

"_Garrus..._" she moaned as she circled her clit, her imagination running wild with memories of his hands wandering her form as he made love to her, going so far as to even conjure his scent so that she could almost imagine him right there with her, the lustful growl of his subharmonics tinged with longing borne of days with barely any contact.

_Damn, my imagination is good,_ she thought to herself, just as she felt an all too familiar hand replace her own, causing her eyes to fly open with surprise.

"Garrus?" she asked with shock, her voice wavering a little as she noted the lust in his gaze. After three days of ignoring her, she would take it, even if she had no idea what had caused it.

"_Soph_, if you needed me, all you had to do was ask," he told her, his deep rumbling voice sending shivers down her spine.

"You were the one avoiding me, remember?" she managed as his fingers teased around her clit, his expert touch deftly bringing her pleasure much more easily than her own had.

"I... have been unsure of how to deal with your... change in attitude."

"Was it that obvious?" she asked, as he paused his movements. She had figured that his behaviour had been triggered by the change in her own, but she hadn't had the opportunity to ask.

"You forget how well I know you, Soph. Just... I'm not sure how to... how you want me to respond. I have _some_ residual feelings from the memories, but not as much as you."

She simply gave him a sympathetic look before pressing her forehead to his. "Garrus, do you love me?"

"You know I do," he replied softly.

"I don't need anything else," she told him. "I love you. With all my heart. As long as you return that love, I am the happiest woman alive, I promise you that."

He pulled her close so that her naked body was straddling him, wishing that he was wearing something less obtrusive than his armour. "And as long as you love me, I am the happiest turian alive," he replied in kind.

She wrapped her arms around his neck at that, pulling him close so that she could kiss him fiercely. It was mere moments before her hands travelled south, unclasping his armour as quickly as she could manage.

It wasn't long before it was piled on a heap just outside the shower, her hands now moving to remove his undersuit as quickly as possible as his hands teased her breasts mercilessly, earning pleasure filled moans from her as she rubbed herself against the bulge at his groin, her fingers not quite managing to move the zipper down as fast as she would like.

Finally he was free from the confines of the tight fabric, and she wasted no time in impaling herself on his length, earning a deep growl from him as she began to ride him, her lips claiming his once more as her hands moved to his fringe, her every action reminding him of just how irrevocably he belonged to her, no matter what bizarre, questionably paranormal, experiences befell them.

He was hers and she was his, and nothing else mattered, he thought, letting loose a slightly possessive growl as he held her close to him, both of them finding release with cries of the other's name ripped from their throats.

He found the struggle not to mark her almost unbearable as his teeth ached for the soft flesh of her neck, making him wonder just how long he would hold out.

And just how long he wanted to...

* * *

"_Commander, Samara has expressed a wish to see both you and Spectre Vakarian,_" EDI told her as she finished getting dressed once more, a huge grin across her face as Garrus watched her, his eyes still filled with desire. She wanted nothing more than to continue on for several more rounds, but she figured that there was something she had been putting off for days now...

"We'll head down to see her now," Sophia informed the AI as Garrus gave her a questioning look.

"Why does she want to see me as well?"

Sophia shrugged. "We'd better go down and ask her."

They headed down immediately, neither of them bothering to speculate on why the justicar wanted to see them both, since neither of them had the faintest idea.

"Hey, you wanted to see me?" Sophia asked as they entered the observation deck.

"Yes," Samara replied. "I wished to thank you for your help on Omega."

"It was truly no problem, Samara. How are you holding up?" She wanted to say that she was sorry, but she knew that the words would be less than meaningless, given that Samara had known that this would be the outcome since the very beginning. This would have never had a happy ending, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been had they not found Morinth in time.

"I am at peace with what happened, you do not need to concern yourself. However, I wished to help you in return."

"Samara, you're already accompanying us on a mission with less than favourable odds. I don't need anything else."

"Nonetheless, I believe I have a solution to your problem."

"My problem?"

"Your memories," she clarified. "I could help you to make sense of the ones you have, and I could pass those memories onto Spectre Vakarian for you."

Sophia blinked a few times in shock as she regarded what Samara was telling her. Sure, she and Garrus had managed to bridge the gap that the memories had created between them, but Sophia couldn't deny that she desired greater clarity, and being able to share those memories with Garrus was almost too good to pass up.

"What do you think, amore mio?" Sophia asked, turning to Garrus. As far as she could read them, his subharmonics seemed a little uncertain.

"I... I think that having something just at the edge of my knowledge is infuriating," he said, reminding her that, while he never retained even the glimmers she did, the memories lay dormant within him too. "If you want to do this, then so do I."

She nodded, none too thrilled with allowing anyone else into her mind, even if it was just Samara and, by extension, Garrus, but she cast her doubts aside, knowing that she would far rather either have the memories or not, rather than this strange limbo she had found herself in. "Okay then, let's do it."

Sophia was glad for Samara's professional demeanour. It helped her to feel a lot less antsy about the whole thing as she was instructed to try to clear her mind, hoping that the sensation wouldn't be as jarring as when Liara had joined minds with her.

"Embrace eternity."

_Sophia opened her eyes to find herself standing in the living room of an unfamiliar house. She found her gaze drawn to several picture frames, inspecting all of the images in turn, finding none of them unfamiliar._

_Her and Garrus gazing at each other lovingly, apparently taken on the day of their wedding if her get up was anything to go by._

_The two of them holding two small children who didn't seem to want to cooperate with having a picture taken._

_Those same two children years later, fresh colony paint across their faces as they grinned in unison._

_Another of the two children, all grown up and joking with a third person - a turian male with deep purple markings._

_She was pulled from her observations by the sound of someone else entering the room. Someone all too familiar. "See?" she told him, her voice unnaturally weak. "I told you I wasn't crazy."_

"_I never believed that you were," Garrus' voice answered her as she turned to see him. He was __**older**__. Decades older, if she had any ability to judge turian ages. Although, she couldn't deny that he hadn't aged badly at all._

"_Yeah you did," she countered, "I mean, __**I**__ thought that I was crazy at times."_

"_Yes, but we learnt long ago that when Commander Shepard starts to have strange dreams, it's probably a good idea to listen. Or else you go into a war unprepared."_

"_Or spend two years thinking..." Sophia trailed off and even through the memory, she could feel the old ache in her heart, cutting through her as sharply as any sword._

_Garrus responded by moving over to her, drawing her into his arms. "Soph, they're fine. We know that now."_

_She sighed into him, nodding a little. "I know. I just... it's been a long two years. And not just for us... How are we even going to begin explaining this?"  
_

_Garrus pulled away a little so that he could look her in the eye, giving her a good look of his frown. "Soph, the Council have classified all of this."_

"_So, what? We just let Kira's husband keep on believing that she's dead?"_

_Garrus sighed at that. "Soph, when was the last time you checked with Liara for an update on Caius?"_

_She frowned a little at that. "Huh... Must almost be a year now. I guess I was never too comfortable with the whole spying thing and I've been busy."_

_Garrus nodded in understanding. "Soph, he rebonded. They're expecting their first child."_

_She only took a moment to feel bad for Kira, before shaking her head. "He still deserves the truth, Garrus."_

_Her bondmate gave a sigh as he figured out how to explain it. "Sometimes I forget that you didn't grow up in turian culture. Soph, turians can __**only**__ rebond under a very specific set of circumstances."_

_She nodded, remembering being told about it before they had bonded. "Right. You can only rebond if your mate dies before you- __**oh**__!"_

"_Exactly. Kira __**is**__ still alive. If we tell him the truth, he will have abandoned his mate. There are very few dishonours greater than that in turian culture."_

"_So... this stays between us then?"_

"_I think it has to."_

"_I hate lying..."_

"_I know, my love, I know..."_

Several memories swirled around in Sophia's mind at once as she finally made sense of many of the dreams she had been having. Some, especially those of their missions against the Reapers, remained cloudy, but others made a lot more sense.

Garrus steeled himself as the Justicar turned to him, not knowing what to expect. Sophia, at least, had already had some of the memories, but he had nothing more than vague feelings.

"Are you ready Garrus?" Samara asked him as Sophia flashed him a reassuring smile.

"Let's just get this over with..."

"Embrace eternity."

_He reopened his eyes, finding himself in a hospital, sitting next to Sophia. She was covered in a multitude of new scars, sitting in a wheelchair with an odd look on her face._

"_Garrus?" she eventually said. "I... I think I'm done."_

_His subharmonics trilled with question as he regarded her carefully. "Done? I thought the Great Commander Shepard never liked to stay in one place for too long."_

_She simply shrugged. "Well, it's not as if I have much choice," she indicated to the wheelchair, "at least until my cybernetics kick in again. And, anyway..." She sighed, her featured taking on a much darker look. "Garrus, this life... it's cost me too much already. You know, I never understood what Nonna meant about a price too high in the line of fire, but I think I finally get it..."_

"_Soph, none of this was your fault."_

"_Garrus, I lost too much. I just kept on going with every loss but..."_

_He nodded in understanding. "You ended the war," he reminded her, but the words sounded hollow, even to his ears._

"_I lost so many good friends to this fight Garrus. I __**died**__. And then I... almost died again. Is it selfish that it was that last cost that hurt the most?" she asked, her hands moving across her abdomen, tracing the scars that hadn't yet healed - that they both had a sneaking suspicion would never quite heal._

"_No. Not at all, Soph... But we don't have to live like this any more. We can retire somewhere warm and tropical, remember? And... I guess I've been trying to figure out a better way to ask, but I don't think I can wait any longer. Soph, will you bond with me?"_

_Her eyes snapped up to meet his, her gaze no longer seeming so sorrowful. "Of course I will," she replied weakly. "I'm a one turian kind of woman, remember?"_

"_How could I forget?"_

The memories seemed to flood in from that point forward, filling in information from decades of being together.

"Hey," Sophia said softly as he returned to the present. "Are you okay? You look a little like you might be sick..."

"No, I'm... I'm fine," he replied. "I just... I guess I'm just a little overwhelmed by all of..."

"Are you regretting doing this?" she asked, sheepishly.

He immediately responded by pulling her into his arms. "Not one bit. It's just going to take me a little while to... assimilate all of this new information."

"You need more time with your other love, huh?"

He couldn't help but laugh at her joking name for the thanix cannon. "No, I think I need more time with _you_."

"No arguments here," she replied, before turning back to Samara, reminding Garrus that there was, in fact, another person in the room. "Thank you, Samara. It's been months since my head has been this clear."

"It was no issue, Commander."

"_Samara_, I keep telling you to call me Sophia, like everyone else."

"Nobody calls you Sophia," Samara reminded her.

"I know," she groaned in reply. "Although Tali seems to be finally getting used to it... Speaking of, Garrus, I think there's a couple of people we need to talk to."

He nodded in reply, although she could sense the reluctance behind the gesture. She had to admit that she too was more than a little nervous and unsure of how things would turn out with the twins when they finally spoke to them.

It turned out that she didn't have to wait long for her answer as, as soon as they left the observation deck, she ran straight into Tom.

"Sorry Mom," Tom replied instantly before looking more than a little surprised. "I- I mean... Commander. Ma'am."

She had to stifle a good natured laugh at his fumbling. "Calm down, tesoro. I already told you; it's fine. I think at this point it would be more weird if you _didn't_ call me Mom."

He nodded. "Erm, Tali said that you spoke to her before and, well... I just wanted to say thank you. I know that she was really worried about what you guys might think of us dating and-"

"Calm down, filius," Garrus interrupted, surprising all of them by using the turian word for 'son'. "It would take some kind of colossal idiot to try to keep you two apart."

"Right, so... we're all good now?" Tom asked the two of them, his subharmonics still trilling with a little surprise.

"Were we ever not good?" his mother asked, raising an eyebrow in jest.

"No. I guess not..." Tom figured. "Well, I've got stuff to do."

They both nodded as he headed back in the other direction.

"Well, one down," Garrus figured.

"Come on, that could have been _much_ worse."

He nodded as they headed into the mess. "True enough," he reasoned as they approached Chakwas, who was taking a break for dinner.

"How is Kira doing?" Sophia asked her.

"Fine. Her nanobots cleared her system a few hours ago. I would have discharged her then, but she and Tali have been chatting and they decided that Kira was probably well enough to drink. I agreed, but I decided to delay discharging her, just in case she has an adverse reaction."

Sophia nodded before turning to Garrus. "It sounds like it's a girl thing. It might be better if I do this alone."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Plus... you and Kira have always been close, but my relationship with her has always been a little more... rocky."

"Soph... You don't really believe that, do you?"

She simply gave him a sad smile. "Maybe. Or maybe I managed to fix things over the past few years."

He trilled understanding with his subharmonics, hoping that she understood, as he pressed his forehead to hers. "You know that technically _you_ haven't done anything, right? If you're determined to think that, think it of the other Shepard. You and Kira have been nothing but friends in this timeline."

"I know..."

She pulled away, more than a little reluctantly before heading to the medbay. Steeling herself as the door opened.

"-and turians should _not_ be that good at kissing! It is entirely unfair!"

Tali laughed at Kira's remark. "Wait, turians are supposed to be _bad_ at kissing?"

They both seemed to pause for a moment as Sophia entered, but Kira almost immediately waved her over. "Hey, Mom. Or is it still weird to call you that?"

"I don't mind." Sophia couldn't help but smile at Kira's nonchalant attitude as she moved to pour another glass for her.

"Good. You have no idea how annoying it's been to try and hide who we are." She frowned at the empty bottle. "Okay, if there are now three of us, I think we need another bottle. Or maybe another four or five..."

"I'm on it," Tali informed them, tactfully leaving the room.

"If there was ever proof that we shared DNA," Sophia commented, making Kira's smile widen.

"Yeah..." She paused, an odd look crossing her features. "Mom, I just wanted to... If you have those memories then you know how cruel I was - to you, to Tom, to Cai - and I just... I've been trying really hard to change that lately. It's been nice to have a clean slate here - with you - and I don't want this to change that."

"Oh, piccina, even in the other timeline, I have never judged you as harshly as you judge yourself. I've just been trying to figure out how to get you to see that. I... I was never the hero you thought I was. In fact, do you want to know what our problem is?"

"Okay, I'll bite."

"We're both headstrong and stubborn and we attract trouble like nothing else."

"You know, you might actually be right..."

"So, are you going to tell me who this surprisingly good kisser is?"

Kira smirked at that, shaking her head. "Not until we finish bottle numero due, I think."

"Fair enough."

* * *

**AN: So, yeah, filius is simply the Latin word for son. (I think... I didn't go to a fancy private school, okay? I took Spanish and Business French at my shitty state high school and Japanese classes just before I went to uni. That is the extent of my language skills.) I base all turian words on Latin in this fic. In others, I'll admit, I just made them up...**


	29. Chapter 29

**AN: New chapter! Aka, the one where Cat goes crazy with some quarian headcanon.**

**Exams are over now, so I'm back (yay!) except this also means that term is over so I'm moving, which means that next week I shall have no internet from Wednesday to Monday. Now, this isn't really a long period of time, but it might mean that the wait for the next chapter is a little longer than I would like (but not as long as the wait from last chapter).  
**

**Thanks go out to all of my readers, with special thanks to all of you who have faved/followed as well as ultra-awesome-special thanks to Zombie Pixel, Bekah Booh and 1054SS325MP for the awesome reviews. You guys are the best!**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 29 - ****I Don't Want to be Dead. I Want to be Alive. Or a Cowboy.**

_Tom couldn't hold his shields for this long. Not against this onslaught._

_No one could._

"_Please, I can't..." he mumbled, his voice weak with exhaustion._

_His instructor, however, did not let up, nor did he allow the other students to as they continued to pound him. "Do you hear him begging like a weakling human?" the instructor mocked harshly._

_Tom put all of his effort into reinforcing his barriers, aware that they would not stop their onslaught once he buckled. He had already visited the medbay twice that week with injuries, he did not want to make it a third._

"_Perhaps that's all he is, a weak little human that simply looks like a turian." They thought that calling him a human was an insult but right now he would gladly be human over turian. They may not treat their biotics well, but at least they weren't treated like animals._

_Tom received the worst of it, that much was clear. But then, if the rest of the students had it as hard as him, they wouldn't survive. He was barely holding out day to day and he was already well-trained and at least as powerful as most asari._

_But he simply withstood the abuse. There really wasn't really another option. Who would he turn to? His parents? Yeah, __**that**__ was the last thing he could do. Never mind the fact that they probably already knew, given how hard they had fought to keep him at home for as long as possible. But for him to refuse to join up at fifteen... There wasn't really an option._

_He had considered talking to Kira, if for no other reason than to __**talk**__ to someone, but he knew that his sister wasn't one to just sit back and allow this to continue. She would want to do something. He couldn't trust that that 'something' wouldn't just make things worse, for either one of them._

_He couldn't even speak to Caius. Anything he said to his best friend, he knew, would be relayed back to his sister thanks to Cai's infatuation with her. On the one hand, it was funny that Caius had thought Tom hadn't noticed the way his gaze refused to leave Kira whenever they occupied the same room, on the other, she __**was**__ his sister._

_So, he shouldered the burden alone._

_But he sure as hell wasn't going to just lie down and take it._

_He pushed his shield outwards, knocking back the other recruits in one huge blast that left him vulnerable. However, by the time some of the others had made it to their feet, he had already regenerated his shields, allowing him to defend against their renewed attacks, although they all eventually ran out of steam. One boy, however, decided to keep going, gathering together dark energy before charging Tom._

_Tom simply met him head on. He was pretty sure that he cracked a plate on his forearm, but the other boy looked decidedly worse for wear._

"_Enough," the instructor called. Tom stood firm, although he anticipated punishment for disobeying orders. "Looks like you're not such a weakling after all, Vakarian."_

_That was the first time the instructor had used his turian name. Before, it had always been 'Shepard'. Or 'Pyjak'._

_Of course, the other recruits were not so impressed._

"_Think you're a clever little pyjak, huh?" the boy - the one who had charged him - demanded as they left the training area. He was flanked by two others, a boy and girl, who seemed equally furious._

"_I did what I had to," Tom replied simply, in no mood for their games. Biotic training had a funny effect on people. Some, like Tom, simply dealt with it. They put all of their effort into just seeing out the year, knowing that things would eventually get better. Some simply broke, unable to deal with what was being demanded of them. Others, like the three standing before him, well, it brought the worst out in them._

_His calm demeanour only seemed to anger them more. "Don't get smart," the other boy hissed. Tom knew the two behind him fairly well but the one who had charged him had only recently come into his biotics. Most of the others had already been in active service when their biotics kicked in, sent back for further training. Most of them resented that, having an especially hard time when they first arrived. Tom had been a biotic for years now. He'd had time to come to terms with it in a way the majority of the others hadn't._

_Of course, Tom only had so much patience for their bullshit, especially when he was so tired. "Do you need me for something or are you and your cronies just planning on standing in my way looking menacing?"_

"_I don't need you making me look bad, Little Pyjak."_

"_You don't need my help there." Tom knew it was a mistake as soon as the words left his mouth but, by then, it was too late to take them back. It hadn't helped that he kept using that stupid name. 'Little Pyjak' was what the others had taken to calling him, despite the fact that he was bigger than most of them, if not older. The other boy responded by pushing him back. He was older than Tom by a good few years, but Tom was tall and strong for his age. His biotics instantly flared in response as he stared down the other boy. "Don't start a fight you can't win," he warned, growling. The last thing he needed was to end up in trouble for fighting unsupervised. "If you want to settle this, let's take it to the ring."_

_The other boy just smirked. "I don't think fighting is necessary. Just say that you won't do it again." Tom just gave him an incredulous look, unsure of how to respond. He wasn't going to pretend to be worse than he was just to console this guy's ego. He had no leverage, so Tom wasn't exactly sure how this guy thought he could get him to comply. The other boy seemed to pick up on this, leaning forward and lowering his voice so as not to be overheard. "__**You**__ may be able to take me in a fight, but what about that human bitch you call 'sister'?"_

_Tom's subharmonics trilled with disbelief. Kira would __**kill**__ him, of that he had no doubt. "My sister can take care of herself."_

"_Even against a biotic?" He lowered his voice further. "You know, humans have no protective plates. Makes them so easy to harm. Makes you wonder, if there are no plates in the way, what's to stop someone from just... taking what they want." His subharmonic overtones left no question as to what he was implying._

_Tom's blood ran cold as he let out a surprised bark that closely resembled laughter. "She would kill you." He really meant it, but he still couldn't help the chill grasp of fear at the very thought that..._

"_Could you honestly chance it?" It was as if he read his mind._

_Reluctantly, Tom let his biotics dissipate. The other boy immediately responded by grabbing his injured arm, twisting it so that Tom was overcome by a white-hot flash of pain._

* * *

Tali was awoken by her suit beeping at her. She frowned, sitting up groggily, as she tried to figure out what was wrong.

_Shields Critical_

Why were her shields activated in the middle of the night?

That was when she felt the familiar push of biotics against her shield. It took only a moment after that for her to find the source of the attack. Tom was thrashing about in his sleep, throwing biotic energy about, seemingly at random, as his subharmonics keened in tones that she couldn't recognise, but sounded more than painful.

"Tom," she called to him, pushing against his biotics to grip his arm, mindful of the old scar across his plates. "Tom, wake up!"

He bolted upright at that, his biotics dissipating. "Tali?" he asked, his voice sounding small - almost scared.

She had been been holding back from him, mindful to not startle him in the wake of his nightmare - she assumed that's what it had been - but she could hesitate no longer, wrapping her arms around him in comfort.

He tensed up at her touch at first, but quickly relaxed into her embrace, reciprocating by wrapping his own arms around her, pulling her close against him as he silently cursed the suit between them once more before deciding to simply be happy that she was here with him instead of halfway across the galaxy with the quarian fleet.

"Nightmares?" she asked gently.

He nodded. "Bad memories..."

"Want to talk about it?"

He responded by holding her even closer, moving to nuzzle at her suited neck. "It was just the usual." He didn't need to explain further. He only had a handful of nightmares that plagued him when something was upsetting him.

"What do you think brought it on?"

He sighed as he continued his movements, his teeth lightly moving across the point at which he would place bondmarks. There was no question that being around her and not bonding with her was killing him but he didn't want to make her feel bad about something she couldn't change.

He wondered how quarians bonded. Was it instinctual like it was for turians or was it more like human or asari traditions? He had tried to look into it on the extranet, but he didn't believe most of what he read. In fact, the only thing that seemed consistent was that the bonded pair would register the marriage in their ship's records. The last thing he wanted to do was bring up something that might remind Tali of her precarious position with the fleet. Although he did wonder why _she_ hadn't brought it up.

"Probably just little things," he told her gently as he pulled his head back up so that he could press his forehead to hers through her visor.

He could almost feel her knowing gaze through the near opaque glass. "Okay," was her only reply, however, as she moved her hand up to his mandible, stroking gently as he nuzzled her palm.

Even if he had forever with this woman, he thought, it wouldn't be enough.

* * *

Tom wasn't surprised to find Kira with Samara. Ever since the Justicar had come on board, Kira had taken to spending time with her. Almost as much as she was spending with Thane. Tom couldn't deny that he found it more than a little odd, especially the fact that when he asked her about it she had admitted that she was just 'looking for a little guidance'.

Tom had always known that Kira struggled with her demons, it was just strange to see her taking positive steps to dealing with them. He was simply used to her burying everything out of sight until it exploded out of her. Usually violently. He had to admit that he worried for her less now than he used to. She had always been the reckless sibling with the bad attitude but now... Now she seemed more focused. If anything - although he would never say it to his sister's face for fear of her hitting him across the mandible with her bionic arm again - she was becoming more and more like their mother.

Tom entered the Observation Deck but made no move to interrupt their conversation.

"I saw him kill an unarmed civilian," Samara claimed, causing Tom to frown as he wondered who they were talking about.

Kira simply shrugged. "He must have had his reasons." Tom didn't miss the way she didn't meet the Justicar's eyes. Kira had never been all too big on mercy, especially on those that had attacked him and Caius. Even if they laid down their arms and surrendered, she didn't like to take the chance that they might shoot them in the back. Those were the few times Tom had had to give her a direct order to stand down.

Although he was never happy with how often she been proved right.

"Your faith in him is admirable, if possibly misplaced."

Kira ignored the comment. "So, how did the fight turn out?"

"I had the advantage but he was good. He returned fire and tried to run. We played cat and mouse in the wilderness for two weeks. It was exhilarating. Finally he created a situation in which my only options were to let an innocent die or pursue him. The code compelled me to save he innocent and he escaped. I admire how he adapted and used my code against me."

"Sounds just like him." Kira chuckled a little before cursing under her breath. "Dammit... Is it really fucked up that that story did nothing to discourage my feelings for him? In fact, it might have done the opposite..."

Tom's brow plate raised itself further as he realised that Samara had been talking about Nihlus. He tried not to sigh aloud. As much as he had worried about how different Kira and Caius had been, the men who were similar to her were exactly the type to put him in protective-older-brother mode.

Samara simply smiled at his sister's comment. "You remind me a lot of myself when I was younger. I doubt that it will make much difference, but I would advise against getting involved with a man like that."

"Don't worry, apparently even a man like him can't love a woman like me," Kira joked, however no one missed the slightly bitter edge to her words.

"So," Samara commented, finally turning to Tom, "what brings you here, Thomas?"

"I just..." He sighed, not really sure how to voice what was bothering him. "Okay, do you two know anything about quarians?"

Kira raised an eyebrow. "Probably no more than you."

"Perhaps we could better help if you told us exactly what you wished to know," Samara ventured, drawing another sigh from Tom as he shifted awkwardly. "Are you having problems with Tali?"

He shook his head. "Not exactly, just... every species is different in the way they treat romantic relationships. We all have different drives and social set-ups."

Kira nodded in agreement. "That is true. Even growing up with turians didn't really prepare me for dating one."

"Right," Tom agreed, "but Tali hasn't really mentioned anything about quarian customs and..."

"And you're wondering why?" his sister finished for him.

He nodded. "A little."

Kira just shrugged. "Sounds like you should be asking her."

Samara nodded in agreement. "What I do know of quarians tells me that this is a conversation you should have with Tali, not us."

"You're not gonna elaborate on that, are you?" Tom asked, only receiving a pointed look in response. "Yeah, I thought not..."

* * *

"I was wondering how long it would take you two to figure it out," Wrex commented, indicating over to where Garrus, Tom and Kira were competing against each other to see who could shoot the most pyjaks. He had known that Shepard would return, Tom and Kira's very existence told him as much, but he was still glad for her visit. He counted Sophia as one of his closest friends. They had saved each others lives more times than he could count, even before Saren. As far as he was concerned, she was a part of his clan, as were her mate and children. He was glad that she was going to take the twins with Grunt as part of his krantt; they had as much right to go through it as he did.

"So how long have _you_ known?" Sophia asked him.

"Well, at first I just thought that Kira was your sister, even though you had never mentioned having one. I had meant to ask you, but you spent so much time either fuming or pining over that turian-"

"I was not _that_ bad," she protested.

Wrex just snorted, punching her arm lightly. "Yeah, you were. So, I had planned to ask, but once I knew they were time travelers, it became obvious. They smell like you."

"They sme- You know what? Never mind..."

Wrex just laughed as she folded her arms. "I meant what I said on Virmire, Sophia; he is a good one. Especially for you. But if he hurts you, I'll pull his plates off one by one, starting with his fringe."

She smiled in reply, a light blush across her cheeks. "Thanks Wrex."

"The kids aren't half-bad, either. Looks like you two aren't going to do too bad of a job."

Sophia simply smirked. "You don't know the half of it," she told him before sighing. "I really wish you could come with us."

"My place is here, Sophia."

She nodded. "I know." She sighed once more as she looked back to where her mate and children were still competing with each other. "I guess we'd better take Grunt on this rite of his..."

* * *

Sophia had never been okay with thresher maws but ever since Akuze she had struggled with vicious memories every time one of the giant worms appeared out of the ground. They scared her more than she was willing to admit. Although, of course, Garrus saw straight through her, moving over to her as she froze in place, briefly pressing his forehead to hers. The brush of contact pulled her away from the memories of her squad being torn apart in front of her as she bled out, instead reminding her of how that day had ended. Of how she had woken later with her wounds healed, with only a brief flash of tender blue eyes to help identify her saviour.

After that, it was as if a dam had broke within her, a flood of biotic energy rushing forth, taking down the thresher maw in almost one blast.

She somehow managed to maintain her energy level as they were attacked once more but as soon as the fighting ended it quickly dissipated.

"You know, I'm pretty sure the point was for Grunt to take it down," Garrus joked, subtly holding her up so that she didn't collapse from exhaustion. She knew that she should have remained professionally distant, but she just couldn't find it in her to care as she felt the energy drain from her limbs. So, instead, she melted into his touch, prompting him to turn it into a full-blown embrace as she nestled her head on his cowl. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked softly.

The tender tone to his voice made her eyes sting with tears. She knew that she was just exhausted, but there was nothing left in her to hold her upright. "I am as long as you're here," she admitted.

"You're exhausted," he told her.

She just nodded in agreement. "I know," she replied before finding what remained of her strength to turn to Grunt and the twins. "I think it might be best to hold off on helping Mordin until the morning. You guys can stay here and celebrate or whatever."

Kira turned to the two boys as soon as her parents had left. "So, who's up for a classic krogan-style blow out? I bet I could outdrink both of you."

Tom just shook his head. "First of all, no you couldn't, and second, I'm busy."

"With what?"

"Taking your advice, actually. I've got a date."

* * *

Tali had been pleasantly surprised to receive a message from Tom asking him to meet her at a remote location on the surface. She had been meaning to speak with him, in fact, but she was struggling to find the words.

She had meant to, truly, as he had asked her to bond with him two years ago but she had decided not to as he planned to leave. It felt too much like trying to guilt him into staying. And, really, it had never stopped feeling like that. If Kira confirmed what the doctors had told her, that she would never be able to be out of her suit around Tom, she didn't want him to feel as if he _had_ to be with her. She was under no illusions about what was causing the stress that had triggered the nightmare. He didn't want to admit it but he was struggling to adapt to her being constantly in her suit again. He loved her, she had no doubt about that, but would that be enough for him? He hadn't brought up bonding again since they had been reunited. She _could_ live without him, the two years spent apart had confirmed as much, but it physically hurt to think about.

When she reached the point at which she was supposed to meet Tom, she found that she was early. The spot was beautiful, which she had to admit she was surprised by on Tuchanka, as it was just by a cliff which had the most amazing view.

She still had ten minutes, so she proceeded to sit down, pulling up her favourite book on her omni-tool.

"Hey."

"Shhhh!" Tali responded, her eyes darting across the screen as quickly as they could manage. "I just got to the really good bit!"

Tom simply chuckled at that, setting down the box he carried under his arm before laying out the blanket he had carried under the other, proceeding to sit next to her, looking over her shoulder at the text, only to find that it was in Khelish. He had picked up a few words during his time with the fleet, but not enough to make proper sense of whatever she was reading. Not that it mattered. It was far more fascinating to watch her so engrossed in the story. She had always had an adorable, almost child-like, quality to her that hid an inner strength, brighter than any sun. Tom had given up on love long before he met Tali but mere hours in her presence had rectified that.

There was no bond that time could not wear down. Perhaps not break, but certainly wear down. Tom was not fool enough to believe otherwise. But, somehow, two years had done nothing to his love for this woman.

"Okay, I'm done, sorry," Tali said, shutting down her omnitool.

"Are you at least going to tell me about this book that had you so engrossed?"

She shook her head dismissively. "It's just this really old Quarian tale. One of my favourites. You'd probably find it boring."

"Oh yeah? Try me?"

Even through her mask, he could see the sparkle in her eyes. It was the same one she got when talking about the Normandy's engines. "Well, okay, do you know who Fazel'Storal is?"

"Not even a little," he admitted.

"She was an old warrior queen. Back in the ancient days. She ventured across the northern continent of Rannoch, trying to bring peace to the land for her people. In the end, however, she realised that she could never bring true peace to the land and so ventured off to find a new land for her people.

"Which she did, in the form of an island. In the decades after her death, it became a prominent trading outpost, guarded by a loyal order of protectors known as the Daughters of Fazel."

"Were they her actual daughters?" Tom asked.

"Well, some were. The protagonist of the story, Laya'Storal, was. Or, you know, her great-granddaughter, I think. Anyway, Laya took her job as a protector very seriously. Her duty came above all else." Tom nodded. This was a typically turian attitude that he could easily understand. "A very rich and powerful man from the mainland came to visit the island and found himself enraptured by Laya. She was beautiful and a warrior in her own right, which was rare. This man was a collector of rare and beautiful things and sought to win Laya's heart, however he could not stay on the island forever. He asked her to accompany him back to the mainland, but she refused, telling him that she couldn't abandon her duty. Not that that decision wasn't completely understandable, it wasn't as if he were her lifemate or anything."

"Her what now?"

He didn't miss the way Tali's gaze dropped a little at the question. "Well... Turian bonding is instinctual, right?"

"Right."

"But it's tied up in the act of placing the bond marks?"

He nodded. "Once there is someone you truly love, there's an overwhelming instinct to mark them. You _can_ fight against it, but it is one of the most difficult things to do. But, until the marks are placed, time apart and a reduction in those feelings can calm the instinct. Even once the marks have been placed, it is extremely difficult to generate feelings for another, but not impossible. Not unless you and your bonded have had children together, at which point the bond between you becomes permanent."

"Quarian bonding instincts are similar, but we don't have the same stages. Either someone is your lifemate, or they aren't. The bond takes months, sometimes even years, to form, but it is always permanent."

Tom remained silent for a moment, mulling over the information he had been given. If Tali had found him to be her lifemate, she surely would have told him. Maybe that was why she hadn't brought it up, because she hadn't bonded to him. But he could wait, if that was what she needed. "So, what happened next?" he finally asked.

"Well, the man was furious. He wasn't used to being refused. So, he went to Fazel, claiming to be concerned to Laya's wellbeing. He told her that he was worried that she was sacrificing too much for her role as protector."

"Wait, how old was Fazel at this point?"

"Oh, she was long dead. But quarians often turn to the ancestors for guidance, Fazel being one of them. Fazel, of course, saw through his deceit and sent him packing. However, she did see some truth to his words. She watched over Laya and saw that she _was_ putting her duty before all else, before even love. So, she decided to accelerate the bonding process when Laya met her true love, knowing that there was no other way the young woman would be true to her heart.

"Not long after, a ship sailed into port and, as was custom, a Daughter of Fazel - in this case, Laya - escorted the captain through the city. She found him to be both fascinating and charming, quickly stealing her heart. She spent all day and night with him, and by the time the sun rose once more, she found that they had bonded to one another.

"Of course, he had to set sail once more all too soon and asked her to accompany him. However, despite their bond, she refused him. He wished that he could stay with her, but his duty to his crew forbid him to stay, just as her duty to her people forbid her to go. This saddened Fazel and later that night she visited her daughter in her dreams, asking why she had forsaken love like that.

"'Duty,' Laya replied, but Fazel simply shook her head.

"'You cannot protect this land while your heart is elsewhere,' she explained, and Laya knew that she was right. So, she bolted from her bed, running to meet her love before he cast off, knowing that she could never truly be whole without him."

"See, I didn't find that boring at all," Tom joked as he took a moment to think over her story before he replied. Before, he might have said that it was impossible to love someone after such short a time, never mind bond with them, but now? Now, he found the story all too believable.

"I guess not," Tali replied, and Tom was sure that she was blushing beneath her mask.

"So, do some quarians actually bond so quickly, or was that just part of the story?" Tom couldn't deny that he was intrigued. The instinct for turians to place bondmarks was triggered by physical proximity and usually not until months into the relationship, at least. However, from the first time he had held Tali close, he had wanted to mark her, just as he had wanted her to mark him. The skin on his neck tingled at the very thought of Tali biting into it, claiming him as her own.

Tali suddenly seemed fascinated with the floor as she paused to think about her answer before replying. "It's extremely rare, but there have been a few documented cases. Even so, most quarians simply regard it as the stuff of legends."

"What do you think?"

"I- I guess I always wished that zserelata was real, you know? But I understood that it probably wasn't."

Tom frowned. "Zserelata... Where have I- Wait, wasn't that the reason Reegar gave for..." He trailed off, his attention now fully focused on the woman next to him as she wrung her hands together nervously.

"I... It was never the right... Tom, I know you. Even if you didn't feel the same way, you would feel obligated to stay. I didn't want that. I didn't even realise myself until you gave me the bracelet. But then, I couldn't really remember when the bond had formed. Not until I thought back to that first night on the Citadel." Somewhere between when Tom had helped her to fend off Saren's assassins and the hours spent talking with him well into the next morning, she had both fallen for and bonded to him.

Tom immediately moved so that he was kneeling in front of her, placing one hand on the bottom of her helmet so that her gaze was lifted from the ground, meeting his own. "Tali, why didn't you just tell me then?" he asked softly.

"Tom, we weren't even sure if... If we could even _be_ together physically."

"But we quickly found out otherwise," he pointed out.

"Like I said, I didn't want you to feel as if you _had_ to stay with me when you didn't want to."

"Tali, I _wanted_ to be with you. I always have and I am certain that I always will."

She nodded. "I knew that when you asked me to bond with you. Or, well, you know, started to. I was going to tell you everything then but..."

"But then I left."

"And now we don't know if I can ever be out of my suit around you again. Tom, I don't want you to stay if you don't want to."

He simply sighed, shaking his head. "Tali, you speak as if this is all one-sided."

"Tom, we had two years apart. I understand that you don't want to bond to me anymore..."

"Wait, Tali, why would you think that? The only thing stopping me from bonding with you right now is the knowledge that it could make you ill again."

Tali responded by smacking her helmet with her hand, groaning. "I might actually be the stupidest person in the galaxy. I didn't even twig that you can't mark me while I'm stuck in my suit..."

Tom responded by taking her hands in his, lacing their fingers together as he pressed his forehead to hers, his subharmonics trilling with tones of adoration. "Tali, let me just make one thing very clear right now: I'm not going anywhere ever again. If two years away from you taught me one thing, it's that I don't ever want to lose you. I can't. Even if you can never be out of your suit with me, I would still rather be with you than without. The only way I'm leaving is if you tell me to."

"I would never tell you to go, Tom," she replied softly, before giving a harsh, self-deprecating laugh. "Keelah, I'm sorry. I just..."

Tom noted her hesitation, moving once more so that he could hold her closer to him while still meeting her gaze. "Tali, I thought we didn't keep things from each other. But ever since we met back up..."

She nodded in agreement. "I... I'm sorry, there's no real excuse for it. I should... _keelah_, I should be stronger than this. I was so damn sure that I could... Tom, quarians aren't... _good_ at being separated from their lifemates for large periods of time."

He frowned. "But, wait, in the story, wasn't Laya going to let her lifemate leave without her?"

Tali nodded. "Look, it's not so drastic as to stop our day-to-day functioning but... it's as if a piece of you is missing. I guess... it's messed with my sense of equilibrium. It made me so scared of losing you but, equally, I don't want to get too... _possessive_."

Tom just smirked at that. "_Right_. Because, you know, turians aren't known for being possessive of their mates _at all_."

"So, you're really okay with all of this?"

He just raised a browplate. "Are you really okay with me being the time travelling clone/son of you best friends?"

She just smiled as she snuggled closer to him. "Yeah, okay, fair point..."

* * *

"How are you not dead yet?"

Kira just shrugged as Kasumi decloaked next to her, indicating to the bottle of ryncol in her hand. "No idea. Dumb luck, I imagine."

"Then you must be one of the luckiest people alive," Kasumi replied, causing Kira to sigh.

"I sure as hell don't feel like it. But that's what the alcohol is for," she joked.

"I hate to make your day worse but... How well do you know Miranda?"

"Lawson? Barely. She's been keeping to herself ever since I came aboard."

"She's been venturing beyond her office."

Kira just shrugged once more. "Well, she had to leave at some point or another."

"She's been asking questions about you and Tom. Questions about your origins."

_That_ got Kira's attention. "Shit. There's no way that can be good, is there?"

"I don't imagine so, no..."

Kira was about to question Kasumi further when her omni-tool started bleeping at her, an all too familiar ID appearing on the screen, reawakening a tide of feelings that she had been trying very hard to keep buried.

"I've got to take this," she told Kasumi before heading to a quiet spot, answering the call.

"Hey." She deliberately kept the vidscreen off. That would be a level of masochism well beyond her usual.

"_Hey_," came the reply. _God, even his voice is sexy,_ she thought, fighting the urge to bite her lip. She was a full-grown woman, not some teenage girl with a crush.

"You need something?" She winced a little at how abrupt the words sounded. She didn't want him to see how badly he'd hurt her on the Citadel. She had no right to be so upset. She had hurt him first, after all.

"_I just... I found some data that I think might interest you._"

She frowned at that. "What data?"

"_Are you alone?_" Of course, her mind went all sorts of places with that. This is what she got for spending three years celibate, she figured.

"Of course."

"_The location of a certain Cerberus facility. Specifically, a cloning facility._"

Kira paused at that. Could it be-? "I never had the coordinates... Do you think that it's...?"

"_Potentially. I only have the planet and it's populated, so finding the exact location is going to be a nightmare. It would require further digging to get anything more. I just... I thought you would want to know._"

Kira nodded, despite the fact that he couldn't see her. Her mind was too busy posing questions that she didn't want to have to answer, remembering each and every horror within the files that she had stolen from the Shadow Broker. "Thanks," was all she could manage.

"_No problem._"

* * *

**AN - Additional: *****Looks at notes, then back at finished chapter...* Originally this was less angsty and more gooey... Never mind.**

One of the biggest problems with such a huge ensemble cast is that if I spent a lot of time going into every backstory and every relationship, there would never be any plot. Which is how I've ended up in a situation where it's taken almost thirty chapters to really get into quarian shit...  



	30. Chapter 30

**AN: I've had no internet for two weeks now...**

**I think that pretty much sums up everything that's been going on for me in the beginning of my holiday.**

******Thanks go out to all of my readers, with special thanks to all of you who have faved/followed as well as special-awesome-rainbow thanks to Zombie Pixel, Bekah Booh and Horrorclown for the awesome reviews. You guys are the best!**

******Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 30**** - ****Oh, You'd Like Me to Connect the Dots For You, Lead You From A to B to C, So That Your Puny Mind Could Comprehend. How Boring.**

_Kira changed her clothes the first opportunity she got. She managed to find a hotel that wasn't too expensive, but also not too skanky. It wouldn't take her long to burn through her savings staying here, but she figured that there had to be ways for an intelligent young woman to make money in the city. The first order of business had been her hair. She forked out for the most expensive home dye kit she could find. She did have a **little** vanity, after all._

_By the time she was ready to go out again, her long hair was now jet black, as were her high waisted jeans and leather boots and jacket. She wore a dark red tank top which was both low-cut and tight, as well as a little short, giving the illusion of longer legs when paired with the jeans._

_It took her a few tries to get the pistol she had snagged from her parents to fit safely into the back of her jeans so that it was concealed, but she managed it in the end. She had her tactical cloak equipped and her omni-blade program ready. She figured other girls didn't put so much effort into sneaking out to get drunk, but the last thing Kira wanted was to be identified and sent back home within five minutes. Or to end up dead in a back alley._

_It didn't take her long to find a suitable bar. Although, she felt a little awkward, drinking alone. Not that she let it show. She wasn't even really sure why she was here. She just knew that she couldn't go back home. She had nowhere else to go. She didn't know anyone who wouldn't just send her straight back to her parents._

_She **was** a high-school graduate and she looked over eighteen, the drink in her hand proved as much, so she didn't see why she couldn't just..._

_Do **what**, exactly?_

_That was something she had never been too sure of. She wanted to leave this backwater colony, she knew that much. When she had accompanied Tom to Grissom, she couldn't deny that the gesture hadn't been entirely selfless._

_But where could she go? And how would she pay for it?_

_That was when her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a siren. She knew that it probably wasn't there for her, but she didn't want to chance it, so she left through the side entrance, into a dark alley. She made it about three feet before running into someone._

"_Hey," a vorcha hissed at her as he drew closer, a knife gleaming all too clearly in his hand. "Drop all valuables. **Now**."_

_Kira just sighed before lifting her leg up, knocking the knife out of his hand with her boot, following it up with a punch across the face. As he stumbled back, she pinned him to the wall, bringing her omni-blade to his throat. "You really picked the wrong girl to mess with," she snarled._

"_Sorry! Won't happen again!" the vorcha cried._

_Kira simply narrowed her eyes, before noting the credit chit peeking out of his pocket. Well, she did need funds, and he **had **just tried to mug her. "Fine, I'll let you live, but I'll take this for my trouble." As soon as the chit was in her hand, she activated her cloak, running away as quickly as she could manage._

_She had made it about half a mile by the time her cloak ran out of juice._

"_That was impressive," came a female voice from behind her._

_Kira spun around to see a hooded figure. As much as Kira could see beneath the hood, she seemed to be in her late thirties or early forties. "Who are you?"_

"_Someone looking for a partner. Someone with your talents, to be precise."_

"_My 'talents'?"_

_The older woman nodded. "A friend of mine recently commented on the amount of organised crime in this city. I had nothing better to do, so I figured I could hit them where it hurt; their wallets. She's a bad influence on me like that."_

"_So, you both take the moral high-ground **and** walk away filthy rich?"_

"_You **do** catch on quickly. So, what do you say? Are you in?"_

"_How do I know I can trust you?"_

"_Because, Kirayna, I haven't called your parents yet."_

* * *

Sophia tried not to notice the way Garrus was tapping his talons on the table agitatedly, as she poured herself a cup of what Gardner _claimed_ was coffee.

"What about-" he started again, but she cut him off with a sigh, placing her hand on his arm.

"Two people, honey. That means just Kasumi and I."

He growled a little with frustration, before relenting. Things would be easier, she knew, if it was clear as to who was the higher ranking of them. She was the commander of the ship, but he was the Spectre with all of the authority behind that title. Turians had such a strict, orderly and well-defined ranking system that such confusions were rare. She wondered if the version of her from the other timeline had to deal with this. Then again, Garrus wasn't the Spectre in that timeline, she was. So, probably not. "I know, I just... I get nervous. I didn't have your back once and I lost you," he admitted, softening her frustration. She knew that if she had been the one to lose him, she would be just as bad.

"But I came back, didn't I?"

"Soph, just because the crazy terrorist organisation brought you back once..." he joked.

She just smiled as Kira walked up to them, still seemingly half-asleep as she poured her own cup of coffee. "That just means they know how to do it again," Sophia told him, before turning to Kira. "Tell your father that I'll be fine."

Kira just smirked. "Ah, the over-protectiveness of a turian mate. One thing I can safely say that I don't miss."

"You are used to a squad of three," Garrus reminded her. "And under cover missions were never your strong point."

"They are mine," Kira piped up. "And I'm used to working alone or in a two."

"Are you suggesting you go instead?" Sophia asked.

Kira shrugged. "I'm just saying that I _could_." In all honesty, she had been on edge ever since the call from Nihlus. A mission sounded like the perfect solution; especially one without her parents watching her every move.

Sophia took a moment to consider. It was true that Kira had more than proven her skills when she had gone after Thane and she _had_ been rather... _off_ since leaving Tuchanka. A good fight might be exactly what she needed. "Okay then. You can go. It'll allow me to help Miranda right away. I'm not entirely happy having her on the ship while her loyalty is more than a little questionable. Hopefully helping her to find her sister will mean that we have to worry less."

"Agreed. I'll go and see Kasumi now, then."

"Wait a minute," her father protested. "I don't want you going, either."

Kira just smirked at that. "What are you going to do? Ground me?"

He looked as if he was seriously considering it when Sophia placed a calming hand on his arm. "Weren't you the one telling me that we should let her do more things on her own just a few weeks ago?"

"That was before..."

Kira just shook her head as she walked away. "Overprotective turians _everywhere_..."

"I don't trust Kasumi to watch her back," Garrus admitted to Sophia as soon as Kira was out of earshot. "Or yours."

Sophia just sighed as she brought her forehead to rest on his, not caring about the public location. "Honey, I love you, but I _do_ trust Kasumi. And I trust Kira to be able to look after herself. Come on, she has proven that she can handle going solo, both on Omega and when she went after Thane."

"I know, Soph, but that was before-"

"Garrus, seriously, don't turians send their kids off to the military at fifteen?"

He sighed. "Kira's not turian," he reminded her.

"Yeah, I'm not too sure about that... Look, Garrus, I don't like it any more than you do. But Kira's good at her job. She'll be okay."

"I know that... It's just hard."

"I know it is, but you can't be there all of the time."

"I hate it when you're sensible..."

* * *

"_You still don't trust me," the older woman commented as they made their way towards the target._

"_You still haven't told me your name or anything else about yourself," Kira replied, indicating up towards the roof. "The best entrance on the blueprints was up there."_

"_Huh, didn't know if you'd pick up on that. Looks like you were cut out for this after all. And I didn't say it wasn't smart. Just that it might get tricky if things go sideways."_

"_So, I'm smart to not trust you but I still need to trust you?"_

"_Basically." Kira just remained quiet as she scaled the wall. She wasn't the smallest of girls, but she'd had to build muscle up in her arms in order to successfully wield a sniper rifle, allowing her to pull herself up without much trouble. Neither of them spoke until they reached the roof, when the older woman finally spoke again. "So, if you don't trust me then why are you here?"_

"_You know who I am. But you haven't tried to send me back to my parents, or even tell them of my whereabouts as far as I know."_

"_Oh, they know you're with me." Kira spun around at that, throwing the older woman her most threatening snarl. The woman just laughed. "Not like that. I mean, you're not a hostage or anything so dramatic. Look, that friend, the one complaining about the crime in the city? That was your mother. I'm an old friend. I'm not going to let her worry herself sick, so I told her that you're with me and that you're safe. But I also know that you know what you are now. I figured you'd need space to figure things out, so I won't tell them where you are."_

"_How do I know any of this is true?"_

"_Well, I recorded the conversation. I figured you wouldn't be too inclined to believe me."_

"_You were right..."_

* * *

"I always love it when there's already an alias set up nicely."

Kira raised an eyebrow at Kasumi as she leaned back in the seat of the skycar. "You mean Valkyrie?"

"Not at all, Luna."

Kira frowned. She had almost forgotten that she had used her old alias when she had first arrived. She had quite happily gone back to Viktal-Vakarian. Even though she supposed that in this timeline she belonged to neither clan. "So, what do I do?"

"I put you in charge of a group of mercs out in the Terminus. Small but talented."

"Good of you to stick with one of your favourites. Means I'm already familiar." The words left Kira's mouth before she had time to realise what they might imply.

Kasumi narrowed her eyes at her. "And how would you be familiar with _my_ work?"

"Future girl, remember?"

"_Right_. Anyway, the man we're after, Donovan Hock, he's a weapons dealer. If I were you, I'd keep all of those pretty little toys under your skin a secret."

Kira's eyes quickly darted to her arm, which was fully covered by a long, black glove. "So, he doesn't just trade, he takes from others?"

"Every chance he gets."

"Fantastic."

"I'll admit, working with you does make my job easier. You don't like heavy armour or obvious weaponry. Can I assume you're armed with enough firepower to take down a small moon?"

Kira smirked. "Well, of course. How else does one enter a hive of scum and villainy such as this? My arm gives me the advantage in any unarmed combat; I have knives in my boots, laced with poison, of course; fibre wire built into my dress... I could go on, but you get the picture."

"Next you'll tell me your hair clips contain a gaseous sedative, released when in contact with alcohol."

"Too obvious?"

"No, just another favourite of mine."

"So it is..."

* * *

Sophia didn't have much patience for Miranda's bullshit, this much she had made clear. She could not abide by xenophobia, no matter the reasoning. Oh, she understood why she was so damn loyal to Cerberus, but that loyalty would be the dagger in Sophia's back if she wasn't careful.

She had been especially wary since Kasumi had told her that Miranda was looking into the twins' origins. The last thing she needed was Cerberus getting the cloning idea into their heads. Or, at least, getting it into their heads early. She hadn't really put much thought into whether or not Cerberus would still create Kira and Tom in this timeline...

Regardless, that was a problem for later. At the moment, she was very much trying to not kill the Cerberus Cheerleader for her inability to just _trust_ Sophia.

"So, you mean to tell me that your sister is not, in fact, your twin?!"

"Genetically speaking she is, we just... were _born_ at different times."

Sophia growled a little at that, shaking her head, unable to even put into words how stupid it was to ask for help and then not trust the person you had asked. Although, as always, Garrus seemed to have the right words. "And I thought our family was fucked up..."

Sophia shot him a glare as Miranda's eyes narrowed. "You're not exactly one to be forthright with all of _your_ secrets," the Cerberus operative accused. "Or about your own genetic engineering."

"Well, you weren't all that _forthright_ with the details of what exactly they did to me."

"I _gave _you the files. It's not my fault if you can't understand them." After that snide remark, Miranda's gaze turned to Garrus. "Does your... _boyfriend_ know that you were designed to kill him?"

_That _struck a nerve. Of course Sophia had talked about the genetic modifications with Garrus. Hell, he had even picked up on the slight changes before she had said anything. But they had sort of skirted around the subject, neither of them speaking of the implications aloud. After all, you only genetically modify children during a war for one purpose. And the pro-human terrorist group weren't going to add to them for any other.

Once more it was Garrus who spoke up, his own growl mirroring Sophia's. "Too bad you wasted your time on someone not so narrow minded as yourself."

Sophia simply lay her hand gently on his arm, indicating for him to step back as she approached the other woman, glowing softly with a faint blue light, telling him that she was a hair's breadth from unleashing her biotics, which easily outmatched Miranda's. "You are _truly_ sickening. You have spent all of this time and energy trying to save your sister from the man who engineered the both of you, and yet you see nothing wrong with doing the same to others."

"You already _had_ the enhancements when we started Project Lazarus. I only added to them."

"And where do you think they came from in the first place? Cerberus has no quarrel with experimenting on children."

"That was years ago. It's not like that now."

Sophia just snorted at that. "Oh, trust me. It is still very much 'like that'." She turned, stalking past Miranda. "Now, come on. Despite my feelings towards you, I won't let your sister get hurt."

But Miranda was having none of it. "So, it's true then."

"What is?"

"Thomas and Kirayna aren't just your children. They _are_ you. Genetically modified by Cerberus."

Sophia knew that there was no point in denying it. No matter what she said now, Miranda would still take her suspicions to the Illusive Man. "How did you figure it out?"

"I saw some of the data Mordin has on Kirayna's enhancements. Some of them were ones that I had considered using on you, but they were deemed too experimental. Ones that _I_ designed."

"So, now you know the truth." Sophia's tone was flat and emotionless. "Now, shouldn't we be getting to your sister?"

Miranda nodded, leading the way. Sophia and Garrus fell far enough behind to be able to talk without her overhearing, even with her genetic modifications. "So," Garrus started, his grip firmly on his rifle, "what do we do?"

"We help her with her sister," Sophia replied calmly.

"And then?"

Sophia sighed. "And then we do what we have to do to protect our family..."

* * *

_Kira watched the recorded conversation with an oddly detached fascination. Her mother and the woman in front of her **did** know each other. Her mother seemed more than a little distressed, but Kira wasn't sure how to feel about that fact so she simply filed it away. She would figure out how to deal with it later. Her mother kept on referring to the woman as 'Kas,' which triggered Kira's memory. Hadn't her mother once worked with a thief?_

"_Kasumi Goto..."_

"_Oh, so your mother **has** mentioned me. I was beginning to wonder."_

_Kira nodded absently as her mind whirled. Kasumi had, apparently, been telling the truth; she had told her mother that Kira was safe and sound. Her mother had, of course, demanded that she be returned home immediately. Kasumi had proceeded to tell her that Kira really wasn't ready t return home. Which she wasn't. She knew that both of her parents had kept this secret, but the betrayal had hurt more from her mother. She had always known that her dad had things that he kept to himself. He never, for example, spoke about those two years her mother had been dead. But her mother had never lied to her. Even white lies. It was a trait Tom had picked up all to easily and that Kira also aspired to. Her mother sometime softened the truth, sure, but never outright lied. At least, Kira hadn't thought that she had. But then she had kept this secret for years._

_Hell, if Kira was designed as a killing machine, she might as well put those skills to good use._

"_Look," Kasumi said, clearly picking on the turmoil within the young girl's head, "you can wander around for a bit, go drinking, and eventually burn up all of your money and be forced to go back to your parents. Or you can stick around. I know that you have more training than most people twice your age and the innate skill and intelligence to put it to good use. So, do you want to sit around or do you want to actually **do** something?"_

"_Alright... I'm in."_

* * *

"Is there any way to destroy the information but keep the memories?" Kira asked. She had always wondered what that program had been, the one that she must have seen Kasumi use dozens of times between missions back when they were working together. Kasumi had always just told her that she was too young to understand. That had always infuriated her, but she knew now that the thief had been right.

"No," Kasumi replied. "Keiji was a master at encryption. The information is stored within the memories themselves. You can't get one without experiencing the other."

"Keep it," Kira told her.

"Huh... I don't think I expected you to say that..."

Kira turned on her omni-tool, bringing up an old holo of a turian with plates the colour of milk chocolate and deep purple clan markings, holding her around the waist as they grinned at each other. "I've never been an overly sentimental person, Kasumi. Tom took this when we weren't looking. I only decided to keep it because of how happy we looked. And now it's all I have left of him. I could never ask you to get rid of your grey box. No more than I could get rid of this holo. Just be prepared to live with the consequences."

"I am. I'll stay off the grid."

"I know you will."

Kasumi gave her a questioning look at that, seemingly measuring the other woman up. "Kira... your techniques today... they were a little too familiar. I doubt your were taught the subtleties of thieving by your parents or the turian military."

"You're right. I wasn't."

Kasumi sighed. "Well, you'd better tell me exactly how I managed to get my friend's daughter involved in the criminal underground."

"You know that I don't like to talk about the future..."

"Oh, come on. You can't just leave me hanging like that."

"Can and will. Now come on, before my parents start to worry..."

* * *

"Go over to her," Sophia told Miranda as she watched her sister with her family.

"She doesn't even know I exist..."

"Then go and let her know."

Miranda nodded before turning back to Sophia. "You... I have not been... It would have been understandable if you hadn't helped me. But you still did."

Sophia shrugged. "I guess I'm just too nice like that."

"I..." Her gaze darted towards Garrus before going back to Shepard. "I know that we may have... _personal_ issues, but I respect you as my commander. And... you're right. I may have been... blind towards certain aspects of Cerberus. I spent so long stopping my father from doing things to my sister that I have voluntarily done to others in the name of the Illusive Man. I... Don't worry about your family. I promise that I will be no threat."

"Thank you," Sophia told her, watching her carefully as Miranda headed towards her sister.

"You believe her?" Garrus asked.

Sophia sighed. "I think... that this was too easy. The turnaround was too quick."

"So, what do you want to do?"

"I can't trust her. I doubt I'll ever be able to..." She trailed off as she watched Miranda and her sister smiling as they spoke.

"You're not going to do anything, are you?"

Sophia just sighed. "I don't know... No. Not yet, at least. As much as I hate to admit it, we still need the Illusive Man to win this and if we act against Miranda we'll only anger him. But let's talk with Tali and Kira. See if they can hack her mail without EDI's knowledge. If we can keep a closer eye on her, we might get a better idea of whether or not we can trust her. And we may be able to stop her from telling her boss anything we don't want him to know."

* * *

Once Kira made it back to the Normandy, she immediately headed back to the lab, as she always did. Every piece of evidence she had uncovered pointed towards her theory being correct. But she refused to even hint at what she suspected to Tali or her brother until she was one hundred percent certain. Although, she was pouring every spare moment she had into being certain. Tom deserved to be happy. And she figured she at least owed him at least this much to help him get there.

So, she was sitting in the lab, going over the test results one more time, when she heard the familiar sound of her brother's girlfriend's voice behind her. "Anything new?" she asked.

Kira shut down her screen at once before shaking her head wearily. She doubted Tali could have picked up on her theory from such a small glance, but she didn't want to chance anything. "No," she replied, "but I'm getting close. Another week or so should do it."

Tali just gave a distracted nod as Kira turned to face her. "I just..." she eventually ventured after a few moments, before stopping short, sighing, and then starting again. "I don't know. Ever since Sophia and Garrus found out the truth... It's very obvious that your parents love you."

Kira nodded uncertainly, not entirely sure where the quarian was going. "Yeah, I guess it is."

"I never had that," Tali admitted softly. "I don't really remember my mother and my father was always funny about showing affection, even before she died. I never really doubted that he loved me, I knew that he just didn't show it conventionally. But..."

Kira gave her a sympathetic look, realising what was bothering her. "Tali... if I'm right about what happened to you... He took the right action. The difficult one, but the right one. And I can understand why he hasn't exactly been forward about it. I think he's wrong to keep things from you, but I can understand why."

"You're not going to clarify any of that, are you?"

Kira shook her head. "Not until I'm sure..."

"Okay then..."

* * *

**AN: The picture Kira has is on my DeviantArt account but thanks to stupid FF, I can't post a link. Anyway, my username is GohokeKitty for anyone interested. There's also other sketches and drawing from all of my fics and a new comic series based on this one. Hope you enjoyed! ^^**


	31. Chapter 31

**AN: IamverytiredrightnowandamnotsurehowI'mstillawake.. .**

**********Thanks go out to all of my readers, with special thanks to all of you who have faved/followed as well as super-special-awesome-rainbow thanks to Horrorclown for the awesome review. You are the best!**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 31 - **** I represent the past, where stuff cost less and people knew the value of a hard days work, but they only lived to be 28 years old. I represent the future where we have no morals and no emotions, but we have a lot of kick-ass gadgets. And I'm the present which sucks. We have nothing cool and also no morals.**

"_Kira... what are we doing?"_

_Kira sighed into her lover's chest, not wanting the real world to penetrate the bubble of post-orgasmic bliss she was currently cocooned within. "Right now? Cuddling. Now shut up and stop ruining the moment."_

"_Kira..." he started again, earning another sigh._

_Two drinks. That's all it had taken. She had been missing him, it was true. "I belong with him," she had told Anderson, and, in her drunken sorrow, she had believed it. Now here she was. With him again. Despite her resolve to stay away. She knew that it would never end well, but, in the end, she just couldn't. She hadn't expected him to join Tom when they met up the night before but she hadn't said anything. They were supposed to be going back to being friends, after all. But two drinks down, she was still missing him and still three months celibate after almost five years of regular sex. She had missed the familiar warmth of holding someone close, but she wasn't sure that she had missed__** him**__ specifically. She had suspected that she just needed to screw someone else, to get him out of her system, but... she didn't exactly know what she was doing. She had never really been 'single'. She had been too young or otherwise busy, and then she had been dating Cai._

_So, two drinks into the night, they were tumbling into her hotel room, re-familiarising themselves with each other. And now the alcohol had long since burned away in the cold light of dawn – or, at least, what passed for 'dawn' on the Citadel - and they were left with nothing but questions. Questions Cai seemed more than willing to address head-on while Kira wanted nothing more than to evade them for as long as possible._

"_Is this going to happen every time we see each other?" he finally asked._

_She shrugged. "Don't know."_

"_Then what's the point?"_

"_Sex is nice."_

"_No, I mean, what's the point of leaving at all?"_

_Kira just sighed, but this time with resignation. Now was not the time to forget why they had gone their separate ways in the first place. "The point is that you want a quiet, stable life. You want to build ships, not just fix them. You want a wife and children to come home to. Cai, I don't want to stay planetside. I could marry you, but I wouldn't always be there when you came home and I couldn't give you children."_

"_Or I could go with you when you went."_

"_Except that's not what you want. It's never been what you've wanted."_

"_Kira,__** you**__ are what I want. I missed you."_

"_I missed you too," she replied, still not entirely sure h__ow much feeling was behind__ her words. "But if you follow me, you'll eventually regret it. There'll be one day years from now when you think to the life you once wanted and look to the woman you gave it up for and you'll realise that it wasn't worth it. Cai, I'm not worth it."_

_He simply drew her closer into his arms, as he always did when her demons threatened to consume her. "Kira, unless you can honestly tell me that you don't love me, I'm not going away again. Because you'll always be worth it to me. Even if I have to spend the rest of my life proving it to you, I will."_

_And she might just let him. She knew that she shouldn't, that she was incapable of trusting anyone completely, of giving her heart wholly to someone, but Cai seemed to be happy enough with the pieces she could give, never asking for more._

_She was broken beyond repair and he still wanted her..._

_When would she ever find that again?_

* * *

"Kira," the young woman pulled herself from her memories to see the drell assassin next to her, "I... require your help with something."

Kira cocked her head quizzically. Thane didn't really interact with the rest of the crew, but he and Kira had recognised the familiar darkness in each other. Neither of them were used to finding comfort in others, but they had found themselves quickly becoming friends. Plus, he had been helping her to control her anger, to not let it rule her when those she loved were in danger. In her line of work, they were always in danger and she couldn't let her anger rule her constantly. That was how mistakes were made. However, despite how close they had become, if someone needed something, they went to her mother without question. "What do you need?"

His eyes quickly swept the mess hall, before he moved back towards his room. Kira followed, wondering just what exactly he couldn't say in front of the crew. Once the door was shut behind them, he spoke once more. "My son, Kolyat... it seems he has found some things he wasn't meant to. He is angry and hurt and I have received information that he has... decided to follow in my footsteps."

Kira's eyes widened as she remembered the months she herself had spent away from home. If Kasumi hadn't found her... she wasn't sure where she would have ended up. Sure, she had been a criminal, but she had left with a clean conscience, knowing that she had only committed crimes against other criminals. If that hadn't been the case... "You intend to stop him, I take it?"

"Of course. We are approaching the Citadel now. That's where he'll be."

Kira nodded. They were going to stock up on supplies and give everyone some much-needed shore-leave. Kira, Tom and their parents had planned on accompanying Jack in a shuttle to Pragia to destroy the Cerberus facility there. Kira didn't really want to miss out, but she saw that the need to help Thane was greater. "Alright, I'm in. But... just out of curiosity, why didn't you ask Mom to help?"

"She is currently busy helping Jack. Given Jack's volatile nature, it didn't seem wise to ask her to delay."

"Quite..."

* * *

Sophia was surprised to see so many humans on the Citadel. She hadn't really been paying attention during their last trip, but now it seemed obvious. The greater surprise was the number of other species interacting with the humans.

Of course, the sight that surprised her most was two young girls chatting as they walked between the shops. One was human with platinum blonde hair accented with hot pink streaks, pale skin and bright blue eyes. She couldn't have been older than twenty, wearing a black and white tartan dress decorated with a large number of zippers and ribbons the same colour as her hair streaks, and a pair of black platform boots. Her friend, however, looked even stranger. She was a turian of about the same age, if Sophia could even judge such things accurately, wearing black jeans and a deep blue vest top with a black mesh top over the top. Her plates seemed paler than Garrus' but with more definition, as if the colour had been enhanced artificially, with metal piercings at the end of her mandibles. Sophia didn't even know turians_ could_ get piercings, although their mandibles were thinner and more pliant than their other plates. What caught Sophia'sattention most were the deep blue markings and light blue eyes that were mirrors of her love. "Hey, she has the same markings as you. Does that mean you're probably related? I haven't seen many other turians with your markings."

"The Palaven district my clan is from is quite small..." His explanation trailed off as his eyes reached the younger turian. "But, yeah, we're related."

"Who is she?"

"My little sister, Solana."

Sophia remembered him telling her about how his little sister had been five when they had lost their mother. She hadn't really realised that would mean that she was grown up now. "When did you last speak to her?"

"I messaged her while on Omega but... I haven't seen her in person since before I joined the SR1. And... I haven't really messaged since the rocket. I haven't known how..."

That was the point at which Solana's friend spotted them, informing the young turian of her brother's presence. "Well, looks like you don't really have a choice," Sophia observed as Solana made her way over.

"Garrus," Solana greeted with her arms folded.

"Hey, Sol. I didn't realise you were on the Citadel."

"I wasn't under the impression you cared." Her tone was harsh and bitter, so much so that Sophia almost flinched away.

"Of course I do, I just-"

"Have been busy with your human whore, I know." Garrus growled in reply, about to respond, when Solana looked over her shoulder at her friend. "But now_ I'm_ busy, so if you'll excuse me..."

Garrus sighed as she walked off. "I... I don't know what I expected after not seeing her for three years. I mean... she's a grown up now, has been since before the last time I saw her, but..."

"She's still only eighteen?"

"Yeah..."

Sophia gave him a sympathetic look before speaking up once more. "You should stay here."

"Soph..."

"Just while Tom and I go to help Jack. Kira's staying to help Thane anyway. Stay here and try to figure things out with her. She is your sister."

"She just called you a whore."

"Yeah, well, if I got upset every time a punk kid called me a name I'd never get anything done," she told him, smirking a little.

* * *

"Huh..." Kira muttered as she entered C-Sec, her gaze drawn to the lone human officer.

"A human working for C-Sec?" Thane asked. "I had assumed that would take many more years, thanks to the war."

"Yeah... Makes sense, though."

"I'll just trust you on that."

She just shrugged. "Meh. Time travel stuff," she explained as they made their way over to the officer.

Kira felt bad as she paid minimal attention to what he was saying, her mind working over the things she had been noticing in this timeline. It seemed no matter what they did, things would eventually correct themselves. Of course, she didn't have enough evidence to draw a definitive conclusion but, the more she thought about it, the less she could deny the pattern.

* * *

Garrus had messaged his sister, asking her to meet him down in the wards. He was yet to receive a reply and was unsure of whether or not he would. Sol wasn't always quick to forgive and he reckoned that three years of almost ignoring her would sour their relationship more than a little. He would readily admit that in the whirlwind of Spectre training, his relationship with Sophia and, later, his grief over her death had distracted him. He honestly hadn't thought much about his sister. She was, after all, over fifteen. She was, by turian law, an adult and responsible for herself. But then he remembered how hard it had been when he had left, not that long after their mother had died, and he had no one to talk to.

He just hoped that he could fix things.

"So, how'd you manage to fuck up your face?"

Garrus was caught between wanting to sigh with relief and chiding his sister for her use of crude language, as well as disrespecting her elder. In the end, he just laughed softly, shaking his head. "Only if you tell me what you've done to yours." He indicated to the powder she was wearing to define her plates.

"It's make-up. Julie helped me with it."

He just raised a browplate. Turians didn't wear anything on their face with the exception of their markings. "Were the piercings Julie's idea too?"

Solana shrugged. "She has a few and I thought they looked cool. So, what's with the bandage?"

"I... took a rocket to the face."

She raised a browplate at that. "Well, nice to know you were ignoring me for_ actual_ work, not just frolicking with your human girlfriend. Wait, is that what it's about? You fucked up your face and now no turian woman will touch you?"

Garrus shook his head, deciding to ignore the way she used offensive subharmonic tones whenever she mentioned Sophia. "We were together_ before_ the rocket. How did you even know?"

"No, you first. What have you been up to?"_ What was so important that you forgot me?_ The words were unspoken but clear, even through her feigned disinterest.

Garrus sighed. "Just... A lot of classified Spectre stuff. I was working to stop Saren and after that, I got put on an assignment that required that I drop off the grid for two years. I just recently came back and... messaging has been hard. I'm in a tricky situation at the minute and I didn't want you anywhere near it."

"I know about Archangel, Gar," she admitted, not meeting his gaze.

"How-"

"It wasn't that hard to figure out. You got sent after that time traveller and suddenly there are two vigilantes on Omega? It seemed like something you might do."

"How do you even know about Kira and Tom? That's classified by the council."

She narrowed her eyes, ignoring his question as she recognised the tones of worry in his subharmonics. "Gar, why did you just react as if they're close family? Who are they?"

He shifted awkwardly at that, not sure if he should tell her. But she would know if he lied and she would only get mad if he tried to evade. Plus, he guessed that they were her family too. "Well, like you said, they're time travellers from thirty years in the future."

"Right but who are they?"

He sighed, not meeting her gaze. "Their full names are Kirayna and Thomas Shepard-Vakarian."

His sister's mandibles widened with shock as she regarded her brother closely, her gaze drifting to his neck, searching for bondmarks. "They're your... You haven't bonded with her."

"Not yet," he admitted, "but I fully intend to."

His sister just shook her head, her subharmonics trilling with incredulity. "You can't_ really_ be that dense. We were_ just_ at war with them. Father will never stand for it."

"I thought you didn't care what Dad thought."

She gave an exasperated sigh. "_I_ don't. As far as I'm concerned, he's the stranger who paid for my education. But, as much as you try to deny it, you've always had this weird need to please him. You still think that if you're good enough and if you live up to his ridiculous standards, eventually he'll come back and start being a father again."

His subharmonics trilled with shame as he saw the truth in her accusation, but it was a habit he had broken when he had decided to stay in Spectre training, ignoring his father's wishes. "Maybe when I was younger, but not now. It... it took losing Sophia for me to realise that I can't be without her. I_ will_ bond with her, with or without father's approval."

"It's not just him. Gar, no turian would ever want anything to do with you ever again."

He nodded. "I know, Sol. But... I don't really care."

"And you're sure you're not just doing this because the time travellers told you to?"

He just gave a soft laugh at that. "I'm sure. In fact, I've never been more sure of anything."

His sister nodded. "Well, you're still crazy, but... I believe you."

"So, how_ do_ you know everything? It's all meant to be classified."

"I... A friend. He got me your mission files."

Garrus didn't miss the way her subharmonics betrayed her embarrassment. "A_ friend_, huh?"

"Not... not like that," she told him. He believed her, but he also knew that she very much wanted it to be 'like that'.

"So, who is he?"

She snorted, shaking her head. "As if I'm going to tell you who gave up classified information."

"Well, if you're not going to tell me who he is, at least tell me what you've been up to these past few years."

"So,_ now_ you care?"

Garrus sighed. "Sol, I've always cared. But you're right, I should have been there. You were alone and leaving home and I wasn't there."

His sister tried her best to hide the upset in her subharmonics but he could see it clearly. "Gar... you were there to see me off when I started basic. That was the moment I became an adult. You didn't have to stick around beyond that."

"I didn't_ have_ to, but I should have."

"Gar, you _never_ had to. I was never your responsibility, but you still stuck around despite that. Even when Father sure as hell didn't..." She was right, of course. It wasn't his responsibility to look after her as he had. That job should have fallen to their parents. But Sol was too young to remember their mother and their father stopped deserving the name as soon as she had died. Garrus, on the other hand, had always been there for her. He had always scheduled his leave to coincide with her school holidays and he had been the one to give her her first weapon. It was him she had turned to when she had been bullied or hurt. "You're the only family I've ever known," she had told him when he had asked why she spurned what little effort their father ever made.

"I wanted to. I still do. So, talk to me."

She sighed, shrugging. "Basic was... Being in black band was hard."

Garrus nodded. The schools banded the students when they graduated, indicating where they would be the most useful. He too had been in the black band where all of the most gifted students were placed. It was where the Spectres went to pick their potential candidates.

"The other recruits usually aren't used to being beaten," he commented. Most of them had been terribly sore losers, used to being the kings of their own little castle, unable to deal with realising that they may no longer be the best.

"Yeah, they tended to object to me handing them their asses. The competition was... tough."

Garrus sighed. This was certainly one instance where Kira took after her aunt. Sol had no competitive spirit. She was the best at what she did but took no pleasure in the knowledge. It was simply a fact and she responded exactly the same to being told that she was no good. They saw no point in comparing their achievements to those of others, improving for their own sake. No one else's. "I know."

"Yeah, but you_ like_ that shit."

"And I thrived for it. But I can see how it would be tough for someone who sees no point in it."

Sol simply shrugged. "I survived, so no complaints. Didn't exactly make any friends, though."

"So, where did you get assigned after basic?"

"Actually there was a new program brought in. It was designed to improve interspecies relations after the war. The top recruits from both turian and human militaries would train together. I got picked."

"So, is that where you met your human friend?"

"Yeah. I liked it. I mean, I wasn't so sure about working with humans at first, but they're alright."

"So, I take it that ended?"

She nodded. "We ran a few missions together after the training but... the turian side of the program was being run by General Victus. He... He got me a transfer to Blackwatch."

Garrus raised a browplate at that. His sister was easily as good as he was – some might say better – but she was still awfully young for a special ops posting. She must have really made a name for herself in the years he had been away. "That's..._ brilliant_. I'm so proud of you, Sol."

Her subharmonics trilled with embarrassment at that. "It's not that big of a deal," she muttered.

"I guess you just wish your friends could come along..."

"Actually one did. He got the same transfer."

"_Ah_. So, you're_ friend_ isn't human."

She hit him lightly at that. "No, dear brother. You're the only sibling with that particular perversion..."

* * *

"Urgh... I hate this place..." Jack muttered as they made their way through the abandoned Cerberus facility.

"These places have a tendency to stick with you..." Tom agreed quietly.

Jack frowned a little at that. "I thought Sophia rescued you when you were just a baby. There's no way you could remember."

He shrugged. "The ghosts still linger. And I wasn't just talking about the Cerberus facility, either..."

Sophia frowned a little at her son, a little worried. She knew that all of the interactions she remembered having with her children before they came to the past weren't really _her_. It had been the other Shepard that had been boxed into sending her son to the turians for biotic training. But she couldn't help but feel responsible, all the same.

"This looks like an arena," Sophia commented as the sight of old blood stains pulled herself from her thoughts.

"That's right," Jack confirmed. "They used to stage fights here. Pit me against other kids. I loved it. Only time I was ever out of my cell."

"That's horrific..." Sophia muttered, her voice seething with anger as her own biotics flickered lightly.

To her surprise, Tom merely shrugged. "That's pretty standard practice for turian biotic training. Of course, we weren't put in cells, but we never would have had time to use them. They would pit you against each other until you passed out. And then they'd let the other kids pommel you for a bit to 'toughen you up'."

"Come on, Soph. Are you seriously telling us that your own training was all sunshine and rainbows?"

"Well, of course not. The Alliance just weren't so obviously brutal about it. We were kept on a secure facility and told that if we couldn't prove that we had complete control over our abilities, we would be deemed too dangerous to ever let out."

"But nobody taught you _how_ to control them?" Tom asked.

She shrugged. "No one _knew_. A lot... a lot of us died. Exhaustion mostly. People would start to go stir-crazy and push themselves too hard, with no real concept of their limits. For the most part, the worst of it, we did to ourselves. Well, except for Rahna. That was before I showed up but, apparently, one of the guys lost it. He injured a lot of the other kids, but he killed Rahna. She and Kaidan had been close and he killed the guy in retaliation. The Alliance didn't even bat an eye..."

Jack gave an aggravated sigh, shaking her head. "Maybe this is just our curse as biotics. Maybe there's no 'good' way to teach a kid how to control this power."

"The asari seem to have it figured out," Sophia reasoned. "Plus, biotic training was bad, but the streets were worse. The Alliance may not have gotten it right, but it was better than this, at least."

"What about you?" Jack asked, turning to Tom. "Were the turians better than this place?"

"I was older. And I had more freedom."

"But you weren't free to leave?"

"No..."

"And you still get nightmares about it." It wasn't a question, causing Tom to narrow his eyes at the tattooed woman.

"Yeah... I do."

Jack shrugged, sensing his question. "A few nights ago I... I was tearing a hole in engineering. I hadn't had one so bad in years, but I guess knowing that I was so close to this place brought it all back again. Tali woke me up before I did any permanent damage. When I asked why she wasn't scared that I would hurt her, she just said that you got just as bad at times." Tom just looked away at that, his subharmonics trilling with embarrassment. He hated the fact that his nightmares could very literally hurt the one person he cared about most, but Tali insisted that it was a fairly rare occurrence and she had always been able to soothe him before he caused her any harm. "You're lucky to have her," Jack told him softly.

"I know," he answered. He doubted that he would ever stop knowing that fact...

* * *

"-and it had been the freaking _kangaroo_ the whole time! I could've hit her!"

Garrus, admittedly, was drifting in and out of his sister's stories. He really _did _want to hear about what she had been up to, but he truly only had so much brain space for complicated teenage dramas. What he was mostly taking away was that she was happy, despite her initially frosty attitude towards him.

Of course, that was when his attention was drawn to the human woman across the street. His sister's gaze quickly followed his own. "Hey, that looks just like Shepard," she said as Kira noticed the two of them, waving. "Wait, do you- Wait, is that-"

Solana was cut off by Kira approaching. "Hey D- Garrus."

"It's okay, Kira. I already told your aunt everything."

Kira turned to Solana, giving her a look that Garrus couldn't quite place. It seemed both hostile and confused. "Huh... Okay then."

Apparently, Sol picked up on it too, because she immediately looked at the time, only to curse. "Spirits, I've really lost track of time. I promised I'd meet my friends in five in a completely different ward." Garrus could tell that she wasn't lying, but he also suspected that she might have blown them off if it hadn't been for Kira's strange behaviour.

"Alright. Well, I'll message you later," he told her.

"You'd better," she shouted in reply as she rushed off.

At that point Garrus turned to Kira, giving her, what he hoped was, his most disapproving 'Dad' glare. It seemed to be working, her subharmonics trilling a little with guilt. "Care to explain?" he asked, hoping his tone conveyed some level of authority.

Apparently, that too was working, since she looked away sheepishly. "Sorry, I was just caught off guard. I knew that you had a sister, but I had never really had an 'aunt', you know?"

He frowned. "No, I don't. Did something happen to her in your timeline?"

She shook her head. "No, nothing like that. Just... I don't think you two were ever close in my timeline. There _is_ a ten year age gap."

His frown deepened. He struggled to conceive of a timeline in which he and Sol weren't close. "Of course we're close," he argued. "I practically raised her after Mom died."

Kira shrugged. "Well, there you have it. In my timeline the First Contact War didn't last more than a few months..."

It took him a moment to realise what she was saying, and then proceeded to curse himself for not realising it earlier. Sophia had even told him of how her own parents' deaths had been different in the other timeline thanks to the shortened war. "So our parents were still around for her..."

Kira nodded. "Yeah."

He narrowed his eyes, picking up on something in the edges of her subharmonics. "But that's not all, is it?"

"Not exactly, I think... I mean, you must know that parents don't often tell their kids everything but..."

"But?"

"What's your sister been up to over the past few years?"

"Spec Ops training. Why?"

Kira sighed. "I guess that would explain it... In my timeline, your mother _was_ around to raise Solana, but she also had degenerative disease. Corpalis Syndrome. It showed up just after you had gone to Omega. Since you weren't around, your sister ended up transferring to Palaven to be closer to home. I guess that cut her Spec Ops career short."

Garrus couldn't help but frown at this information. What little he knew of Corpalis told him that it was a particularly nasty thing to have to see in someone you loved. And he had left his sister to deal with it.

"Hey, it's not your timeline, remember?" Kira prompted.

Garrus smiled back, nodding. "I know, Filia." Kira smiled a little at the old pet name. "So, how did things go with Thane?"

"I may have whacked his son over the head... But, in my defense, he totally deserved it. I mean, what kid runs away from home and turns to a life of crime?"

"You, if I recalled correctly."

"Well, yeah, but I was good at it..."

* * *

Not long after she had returned to the Normandy, Garrus found Sophia in her quarters, hunched over her desk, her focus entirely upon the terminal in front of her.

"Hey," he greeted. She didn't so much as look up from her work as she hummed in reply. He knew then that something was bothering her, so he placed his hands on her shoulders, lightly rubbing circles with his thumbs just below the back of her neck. She hummed appreciatively, sighing with a smile as she leaned back into his touch. "What's wrong?" he asked softly.

Her smile faded a little, but she shook her head. "It's nothing," she assured, unconvincingly.

"Tom or Kira?"

She gave a little half-laugh at that, but shook her head again. "I guess I was a little worried about Tom before but... I guess that's not really what's bothering me."

"So, what is?"

"It's just... I sometimes forget that you've got family. I mean, all I've got is Tommy and I don't even know if he knows that I'm alive again."

"You've got me. And the twins. And, Spirits, Soph, I'm sure half of the crew thinks of you as family."

"But it's not the same thing. I mean... I don't really have parental figures that I have to answer to."

Garrus nodded as he realised what she was getting at. "Soph-"

"I know that you said that you don't care, but..."

"But _nothing_. My sister didn't mean anything she said. She was just mad at me. She has no objection to us being together." He left out the fact that while _she_ had no issue with it, she had warned him that others would. Especially their father.

"What about your father?" Sophia asked, as if reading his thoughts.

He shook his head. "I learned years ago that trying to keep my father happy was a sure way to make myself miserable. A lesson I learned from Sol."

"I just don't want to make things worse between you two."

"There's nothing to make worse, amvimae. He neglected his duties as a father. Maybe not to me, but definitely to Sol. He claims that, in times of war, a turian's duty to the Hierarchy supersedes that to his family. But not to the extent that he completely ignores his children. At least, not in my opinion. He's at that point when things get murky. Sol became an adult just before the war ended. He has, technically, done nothing dishonorable but... Technicalities don't mean shit to me. So he has no right to tell me anything. Certainly not who I should be with..."

"I'm sorry. I'm not... I don't really know how to deal with family. Not with any grown up situations, at least. I..." Her gaze darkened at the memories of her formative years as she let out a small bark of a laugh. "There was this one time..." She trailed off, her gaze dropping further. She never usually spoke of her time on the streets, even to him.

"What happened?" he asked softly as she swiveled her chair around to face him. He felt a little awkward, standing next to her, as there was nowhere else to sit. Sophia, sensing his hesitation, stood up, leading him over to the couch. Once he was sat down, he gently tugged on her arms, pulling her down onto his lap, earning a soft smile from her, but it quickly faded once more as the memories returned.

"A few months after Nonna died, I was sleeping in alleys, living off of what little I could scrounge up and the kindness of strangers. But I was barely getting enough food to stay alive and I knew it. And then, one morning, I woke up in a pool of my own blood. I was eleven and had no idea what was happening. I panicked. I thought I was dying. There was one shopkeeper who had been kind to me. So, I decided to go to her for help. I thought I needed a doctor. But on the way, I literally ran into a group of kids, a few years older than I was. They thought it would be funny to taunt me and, distraught as I was, I responded by putting some of the moves Zaeed had taught me to use. I had no idea that they belonged to a gang. They were just some punk kids threatening me when I thought I was dying. One of the more sensible girls told them to knock it off and asked me why I was covered in blood. I told her and she just laughed before taking me back to their hideout to get cleaned up. And that is the story of how I started running with gangs..."

"So what was wrong with you?" Garrus asked.

Sophia frowned. "The same thing that's wrong with me every..." She trailed off, suddenly looking very pale.

"What?" Garrus asked, concerned by the sudden change.

"I, erm... I need to see Chakwas about something..." she muttered before getting up in a rather robotic manner, leaving him unsure if he should follow or not. But, since she didn't say anything, he decided that following her was best.

* * *

Tom wasn't surprised to find that Kira had locked herself in the lab as soon as she had come back aboard the Normandy. He hated to keep pestering her, but his conversation with Jack had only reinforced his need to _know_ whether or not he could ever be able to again see the woman he loved without a mask in the way.

"Hey," his sister greeted, distractedly, as he entered.

"Hey," he replied.

"How was Pragia?" she asked.

"Good. It felt good to finally... Well, it just felt good to get back at those bastards for what they did." He wouldn't deny that those files Kira had given him had given him nightmares for the longest time. The things done in that lab were truly horrific and it was difficult for him to come to terms with being the product of it all.

"Yeah, about that..." Kira started cautiously as she pulled herself from her work to finally look at him properly. "Nihlus called a few days ago."

"What did _he_ want?"

"Don't be like that, Tom. He didn't do anything," she told him softly.

"He hurt you," her brother retorted.

Kira just gave him a sad smile at that. "Tom, he's allowed to not have feelings for me. Anyway, I didn't bring him up to talk about our non-existent relationship. He actually found something that he thought we might be interested in."

"What?"

"A Cerberus cloning facility. Tom, I think it's..." She trailed off, but he understood.

"You think it's _the_ facility?"

"Yeah... Looks that way..."

"Do you want to destroy it?" he asked bluntly.

"Do you?" she replied, her tone just as blunt. This wasn't the time for mincing words and they both knew it.

"I think... I could accept it when there was nothing we could do about it."

Kira nodded. "You know that if we do this, we won't be born in this timeline, right?"

"I know." He also knew what his conscience would and wouldn't allow.

Kira nodded, having already come to the same conclusion for herself. "Okay then. Let's change history."

* * *

Garrus stood next to Shepard as she gripped his hand, waiting for the doctor to finish her tests. He still had no real idea what was going on, but it seemed like, whatever it was, it was distressing Sophia. So, he let her continue to crush his hand while his subharmonics hummed with reassurance.

"So," Sophia finally spoke up as the doctor finished, "did Cerberus bring me back minus some things?"

Chakwas shook her head. "No. They, surprisingly, did a good job of bringing everything back as it should be. The issue is in your implants. They're being used to regulate your hormones. Amongst other things, they're generating an unnatural level of progesterone."

"Why?" Garrus spoke up, wondering why on Palaven Cerberus would need to control her hormones.

Chakwas shrugged. "For the same reasons I suggested Sophia should start a hormonal treatment when she came into my care, I imagine. We decided against it since we worried that it might make her biotics act erratically. It seems our worries were unfounded."

"I can get a little Texas Chainsaw in my pants every month," Sophia told him, as if it explained everything.

"And if I don't catch you with the heavy painkillers early, you spend all day vomiting," Chakwas added.

"Yeah, well, tough shit. I want it disabled," Shepard told the doctor.

Garrus just shook his head. "Can anyone explain to the poor turian what's going on?"

Sophia just laughed a little at that before touching her forehead to his reassuringly. "It's just a girl thing. A human girl thing. I was worried that Cerberus had removed... certain pieces when they brought me back."

"Sophia, I would recommend leaving this in place. It is working," Chakwas insisted.

Sophia shook her head. "No. I'm sorry, Doc, but I don't like Cerberus having control over my hormone levels, no matter how well intentioned they are."

"You do realise that if I disable this, you won't have any active birth control?"

Sophia just rolled her eyes at that. "I'm pretty sure dating a turian counts as 'active birth control,' Doc."

"Very well."

"The turian is very confused," Garrus told her and Sophia just smiled reassuringly at him.

"Cerberus tried to fix something I didn't want fixed. I'm sorry I freaked out. I know that we'll never have children naturally, but the thought that Cerberus might have taken that away from me... It just didn't sit well with me..."

"I understand," he told her softly. "Speaking of Cerberus, has Miranda tried anything yet?"

"Surprisingly, no. At least, not that I can tell. Unless she's _really_ good at encrypting information. I think she _might_ be on the level..."

"But we're still keeping an eye on her?"

"Of course."


End file.
